No Blog about sections of the history and heritage values of the City of Nelson would be complete without first putting to rest the fabricated stories of a Nelson Underground!
Firstly, the name “catacombs” should have some sort of “qualifier” as it does not meet the definition of the word. The Oxford Dictionary:
cat•a•comb / ˈkatəˌkōm/ • n. (usu. catacombs) an underground cemetery consisting of a subterranean gallery with recesses for tombs, as constructed by the ancient Romans; an underground construction resembling or compared to such a cemetery.
Secondly, the “Catacombs” have nothing to do with Ward Creek or its diversion. This can be seen clearly in the picture taken from the 1899 Fire Insurance Map of Nelson below. Click on it to enlarge.
The filled in area on the east of Ward Street would not affect the buildings constructed after 1899. They were all built knowing of the filled in area and some were built on top of it. The only building that would have been affected was the Madden Hotel on the SE corner of Ward and Baker – but nothing was ever reported. I suspect they just may have been far enough back from it.
The cribbed area is what everyone is calling the “catacombs.” The cribbed area is accessible on the west of Ward Street between the intersection of Baker and Ward to the intersection of Vernon and Ward. They are approximately as wide as the sidewalk above.
The cribbed area is under the place on the map entitled "Planked Sidewalk." It allows access to the building supports in this section. These buildings were erected prior to the fill in. At Baker and Ward, there is one (1) storey underground (the Griffin Block where Wait's now sits) and it lessens as you go downhill. When you enter the business directly north of Wait's you go downstairs - this was originally the first floor of the Griffin Block and at street level. The descrepancy is due to the gradual increase in height of the road over the last 100 plus years and the topography of the area – all up hill.
There was a cave in on Ward Street beside the K.W.C. Block c. 1908 possibly due to the settling of the fill. The debris from the lot on which the K.W.C. now sits was dumped into the gorge area in 1900. I believe there is no access.
You will find pockets of space near the rear of the Hume Hotel where the fill has settled over time. There is a concrete bridge area directly behind the Hume that covers what was once Ward Creek. This allows for continued level passage in the alley-no settling of the fill over time.
The majority of these stories are creations of newcomers to the City, who have completed next to no research. By spreading such nonsense they have done a disservice to the truly vibrant history of the City. There are no "complex series of tunnels" creating a Nelson underground, nor a tunnel running from the C.P.R. Depot to the foot of Gyro Park - pure fabrications. If you want to know the truth about wild claims and stories that you hear check them out first at the Shawn Lamb Archives. Help us spend our time preserving Nelson's Historic Past, not correcting fabrications that could so easily be dispelled with a little research or by simply asking a question or two.
The 1899 Fire Insurance Map of Nelson is courtesy of the Shawn Lamb Archives http://www.touchstonesnelson.ca/ Please click on it to enlarge for easier viewing.
