Thursday, December 13, 2007

Reptilians and Mormons and Security Guards, Oh My! A Brief explanation concerning my choice of the underground tunnels of salt lake city


catmarie rightly questioned the tunnels under salt lake for a forteana pick. It's a very intriguing story, and has all but disappeared from the map of legend. When I moved here in 1990, there was all manner of intrigue in the tunnels. There was an article in one of the local alternative presses, either Catalyst, or Private Eye, or something, about a yearly citizen's drawing, in which the winner got to take a rare guided tour of the tunnels. I can find absolutely nothing about this. I have posted on Salt Lake City bulletin boards requesting any information, and talked to everyone I know that would know of such a thing. Nothing.
I have even ventured into the underground myself. In 1991-93, I worked as a graveyard security dispatcher at the recently demolished Crossroads Plaza/Keybank Tower. My supervisor (D) claimed to be an alien, and knew of reptilians residing underneath the mall. He took me on a tour, but the fraidy cat aliens did not trust me, so they had changed the tunnels (holographically) to look normal. I took some photos for a photography class, and have some negatives still. unfortunately, I was not thinking of documenting the experience, and more concerned with close-ups and shapes and whatnot, as evidenced in the accompanying photo. There are some interesting articles I have found with some stories about the tunnels, and there are some kernels of truth at least within initials of crossroad security workers. For instance, the initial P is correct, as the security manager was named Pete.
I don't know who the R is in the story. It's not me. I had a friend name Rick that worked there, but he wasn't Pete's relative. Unfortunately, I have recently learned Rick has died, as well as another guy who worked there, named Frankie, who was murdered. There was also another murdered crossroads security guard, who met his demise in a love triangle thing while working at the copper mine. If it sounds like a soap opera, it was. The 'bomb threat' mentioned in the story in the link below is also probably true. Crossroads was always getting bomb threats. I specifically remember working during a big deal bomb threat the night of William Andrews' (the Hi-Fi murders) execution. The public was never made aware of these bomb threats, so I'm pretty sure the source of these stories was from a Crossroads Mall security employee.


I am lazily doing a bit of research on the tunnels and hope to have a fully developed article sometime soon.

1 comment:

bigbrownhouse said...

There used to be underground restrooms ("comfort stations") in the downtown area. Lovely things they were, with tiled white walls and glass brick ceilings. The Historical Society's online photo archives have views of them under construction and completed. I wonder what happened to those spaces when they stopped being used as restrooms.