Though cities have a lot to show on the outside, one local group found something exceptional below the surface. In 2013, an excavation crew discovered something that had been considered an urban myth. A network of trenches that were built in 1890, connecting over a dozen blocks of Downtown Fresno together. Currently, Fresno’s Chinatown works to preserve and inform about these tunnels.

Kathy Omachi leads tours of 20 on a journey to one of Fresno’s lesser known historical sights. The underground tour consists of an hour tour of the underground chasms, followed by a Q&A along with complimentary Japanese pastries from Kogetsu-DO Confectionary, which is a Japanese bakery next door to the Chinatown Revitalization building. Omachi got started in the preserving of artifacts from the influence of her father.

“Many years ago my dad was born here in Chinatown,” Omachi said. “A lot of people ask if my last name is Japanese or Chinese, and I tell them it’s Japanese. My grandfather had a pool table here and my grandmother was a picture bride, so their first child was my dad in 1913. So he used to run around Chinatown and have all these stories. He went to school over at the Buddhist Temple, which at the time was a sort of boarding school.”

The underground tunnels were used for a multitude of activities, many illegal. Such activities included drug trafficking, prostitution, and gambling dens. Since the underground had countless entrances and exits (and was underground), it made it easy to evade law enforcement.

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Some artifacts that have been uncovered over the years have confirmed these rumors. A few years back, a demolition crew that was sent in was breaking down a wall. When they were smashing in the wall, they uncovered dozens of small glass containers of heroine that had been concealed in the walls.

However many of the tunnels uses were for practical, legal uses. Sections were used for residential housing, workshops, and storage space. Many spaces can be seen where these activities took place. Upon returning to the Chinatown Revitalization building, many artifacts are shown and passed around from all time periods of Chinese history.

When Omachi came to Frenso Chinatown for a position, she was saddened to see that time had taken a toll on the area. She knew that if she got involved, she could help preserve artifacts not only from China but all of Asia, as well as spruce up the region.

“As I got older and I got back here [Fresno] for a position to work for a senior center, I saw that the area had been really roughly treated by time and the powers to be,” Omachi said. “It really looked like it was going to disappear shortly. I had been doing community organizing since I was about 18, so I had spent most of my life working in communities. That was just a natural fit for me; to work with the business and people here to see if they believed Chinatown could be saved or should be saved.”

Going into the tour, I really didn’t know what to expect. Up until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t even heard that these tunnels existed. I imagined small cramped quarters where people would have to scrunch over to walk around, but that was not the case.

However as we descended into the labyrinth, I felt a sense of adventure. The area was completely dark, and the only light was that provided by the visitors flashlights. I was surprised to see massive rooms filled with space and high ceilings, nothing like the small areas I had imagined.

The still in the cool air allowed for the smell of who knows how many factors to combine and fill the room. As we walked from room to room, I imagined all of the people who lived down there. I thought of all the gamblers, looking to change their luck at the role of a dice. I thought of all the people walking to and from their rooms they had rented, going to and from work. Drug traffickers planning their next big score. Whether good or bad, one could not deny the history that those tunnels and rooms had witnessed.

I would recommend the Chinatown underground tour to anyone interested in local or Chinese history, as well as those curious about this recently discovered landmark that’s been hidden right under our feet. The tour guide Kathy Omachi was very friendly and answered all questions, as well as provide comic relief along the journey. The Underground tour strongly informed and engaged me on an intellectual level.

For those interested in learning more about the Chinese Underground tour, visit their website, or like their Facebook page.

This author can be reached via Twitter: @JusHoots and via email: Justin Houts.