Recently, I learned that there is a cow tunnel under route 70, so on Sunday before the start of Steve's "Shiver Me Timbers and Blow Me Down" hike I went searching to find it. First a little background.
In the late 1920's and early 1930's when the Department of Transportation was preparing to cement route 70 (the article said pave which is incorrect), a farmer named Wilbert Engle complained that the speeding traffic would not allow him to get his cow's from one field to another, since he owned property on both side of what was then a small country road.
Mr. Engle's complaints convinced the state to build a tunnel under route 70 to allow the cows to migrate between fields.
So at 7AM on Sunday morning I parked my car along the portion of route 70 where I believed this tunnel to be. It was the first morning after the big rain, and the first morning after Daylight Savings Time. The sun was up and it was wet.
I left my car unlocked since it was pretty quiet and walked a considerable distance back up the highway searching for the tunnel. A car coming towards me slowed down and pulled off the road heading towards me, and then quickly turned back on the road and passed by, with the man inside staring at me. He headed down the road and pulled directly in front of my car and exited his. Quickly realizing that my camera and GPS were right there in my unlocked car, I turned around and briskly headed back.
He walked past my car heading towards me and I was getting concerned. His actions seemed really odd to me and I was preparing for the unusual. As we met he asked if I was alright and I just muttered yes and headed to my car.
He returned to his car and sat in it looking at me in the mirror. I started up and drove around him and continued to scan the sides of the road for the tunnel. He then headed off all the while staring at me. I searched some more but was constantly waiting for him to return, and decided that some other time would be best for this adventure. I headed to Atsion for the hike.
During the week I contacted a member of this site who I thought could help me in finding this tunnel, and I was not disappointed. I want to thank them for their help. I learned that there are actually two of them, with one of them recently extended because of road work.
So with the exact location of one of them, and what appeared to be a more accurate location of the one I was searching for, Jessica and I headed out this morning to visit them.
The first one is an easy one to get to. Many people have probably even viewed this one and not realized what it was originally intended for. It was extended in 1996 and the date is inscribed on the new headwall. The extension in 1996 should give you a clue as to where it is located. You would be surprised where cows once crossed!
The one I was looking for previously is much harder to find, but eventually I did. I was surprised to find that it is a "duel" tunnel, so there are three tunnels under route 70 for cows. Could there be more???
This one is inscribed 1931 and is much smaller. But I believe that the only reason for this is that water flowing through it over the years has raised the ground level. It is too low for a cow at the present time. The tunnels are loaded with animal tracks, so it appears this would be a great place for a remote camera.
Guy
In the late 1920's and early 1930's when the Department of Transportation was preparing to cement route 70 (the article said pave which is incorrect), a farmer named Wilbert Engle complained that the speeding traffic would not allow him to get his cow's from one field to another, since he owned property on both side of what was then a small country road.
Mr. Engle's complaints convinced the state to build a tunnel under route 70 to allow the cows to migrate between fields.
So at 7AM on Sunday morning I parked my car along the portion of route 70 where I believed this tunnel to be. It was the first morning after the big rain, and the first morning after Daylight Savings Time. The sun was up and it was wet.
I left my car unlocked since it was pretty quiet and walked a considerable distance back up the highway searching for the tunnel. A car coming towards me slowed down and pulled off the road heading towards me, and then quickly turned back on the road and passed by, with the man inside staring at me. He headed down the road and pulled directly in front of my car and exited his. Quickly realizing that my camera and GPS were right there in my unlocked car, I turned around and briskly headed back.
He walked past my car heading towards me and I was getting concerned. His actions seemed really odd to me and I was preparing for the unusual. As we met he asked if I was alright and I just muttered yes and headed to my car.
He returned to his car and sat in it looking at me in the mirror. I started up and drove around him and continued to scan the sides of the road for the tunnel. He then headed off all the while staring at me. I searched some more but was constantly waiting for him to return, and decided that some other time would be best for this adventure. I headed to Atsion for the hike.
During the week I contacted a member of this site who I thought could help me in finding this tunnel, and I was not disappointed. I want to thank them for their help. I learned that there are actually two of them, with one of them recently extended because of road work.
So with the exact location of one of them, and what appeared to be a more accurate location of the one I was searching for, Jessica and I headed out this morning to visit them.
The first one is an easy one to get to. Many people have probably even viewed this one and not realized what it was originally intended for. It was extended in 1996 and the date is inscribed on the new headwall. The extension in 1996 should give you a clue as to where it is located. You would be surprised where cows once crossed!
The one I was looking for previously is much harder to find, but eventually I did. I was surprised to find that it is a "duel" tunnel, so there are three tunnels under route 70 for cows. Could there be more???
This one is inscribed 1931 and is much smaller. But I believe that the only reason for this is that water flowing through it over the years has raised the ground level. It is too low for a cow at the present time. The tunnels are loaded with animal tracks, so it appears this would be a great place for a remote camera.
Guy
Do you want more clue's to one of them??
