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It's a remnant of Jacksonville history Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Adroit Construction Superintendent Terry Mackey, top right, discovered an old mining tunnel Thursday while his crew was excavating the site for the new library in Jacksonville. By SANNE SPECHT JACKSONVILLE - Crews excavating the site for the new library Thursday found a gold mine. Literally. General contractor Adroit Construction unearthed one of the city's long-abandoned mine tunnels while excavating the site behind the post office between California and C streets. Crews initially thought the cement-encased opening belonged to an abandoned well. Adroit Superintendent Terry Mackey decided to investigate further, stuck his head in the opening of the hole, realized it was a tunnel and immediately began making calls to county officials. Deputy County Administrator Dave Kanner said the tunnel appears to branch out into two shafts that go under California Street and a third that runs parallel to what will be the south end of the new library. Kanner said the tunnel's length had not yet been fully determined. "For all we know, this tunnel could go all the way to Ruch," said Kanner. "But I don't imagine it's the safest place to go looking around in." Kanner said discovery of the tunnel would not necessarily pose structural problems for the library. Initial geological-technical studies of the site showed loose silt over bedrock. Because of the unstable soil conditions, Doug Skelton of Skelton, Straus and Siebert Architects designed a building constructed on concrete pilings sunk deep into bedrock. "We're asking the civil engineer to confirm what we suspect," said Kanner. "But as near as we can tell, a tunnel running alongside the building is not going to be a problem." Kanner said the next consideration would be the historical significance of the tunnel. Jacksonville is laced with underground tunnels dating from the 1880s. Gold was first discovered in 1851 at Rich Gulch. In the Depression era, residents dug up their backyards in search of gold. Kanner has asked Jacksonville City Administrator Paul Wyntergreen to research the question. Kanner was hopeful that discovery of the tunnel would not delay construction of the library. "We're on a 210-day construction schedule. We'd like to finish this by early December," he said. Jacksonville's library is one of 14 branches being rebuilt or remodeled as part of a $38.9 million bond approved by voters in May 2000. The bond also will finance a new main library in Medford. Kanner said he thought discovery of the old mining tunnel could be an interesting footnote to the new Jacksonville library. He suggested the possibility of a plaque being placed on the completed building. The new 5,200-square-foot, train depot-style library will feature arched windows, a tower and a clerestory. "Why not capitalize on the historic aspect of this old tunnel and include it somehow in the design?" he said. Architect Skelton declined to be interviewed, referring his comments to Kanner. Jackson County Library Director Ronnie Budge said she would be talking to the construction crew and the architects regarding this new development in the project. Sanne Specht is a free-lance writer living in Rogue River. Reach her at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.