Meramec Highlands Tunnel

I used to live in a house along Big Bend. At the time we lived there our back yard ran right into PONCA TRAIL. My brothers & I ruled this whole area from the Tunnel to the quarry & everything in between. There were trails all around the tunnel & we used to go in the east side (it was a broken fence then) to the brick wall at the west end. At this time it was not filled with mud. There was a lot of trash & old railroad spikes but other than that we could get to the other end. along the way were these slots in the walls about the size of a door. When the tunnel was in use these were for unlucky folks that were in the tunnel when a train came. You would just stand in these door ways & cover your ears. The sound would have been deafening. At the west end there is also this portion of the wall on the outside of the tunnel that had been knocked down. Through this hole we would climb to see a sort of shaft that led to the inside of the tunnel near the ceiling. Also at the west end the wall had caved in. I also remember piles of what we thought was dirt, I realize now that it was probably bat guano. Of course we didn't even think to take pictures & we assumed it would be there forever untouched. I recently went back to the area & I was shocked to see all that has been done to the area.

In a unrelated note: My brother & I were friends with a kid whose family lived in the General Store house. He used to tell us of the outlaw who left a little something behind in the back yard. We thought he was full of it.