WEBVTT 1 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:19.120 Hello, and welcome to the show. 2 00:00:19.239 --> 00:00:22.359 This is the Cult of Conspiracy and I am the 3 00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:25.399 Cage to Night and today we are going to be 4 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:32.520 talking about Los Angeles, more specifically the underground living city, 5 00:00:32.679 --> 00:00:36.799 of the tunnels in and around LA and all the 6 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:39.840 controversy surrounding them. Basically, how do they get started? When 7 00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:42.640 did the digging really get kicking? And then we're going 8 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:46.880 to go into the more obscure conversations, the organized crime. 9 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:49.280 We're going to talk about the oil industry that's booming 10 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:51.799 in LA. We're going to talk about the Lizard people. Yes, 11 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:54.679 we're going there. We're also going to talk about Elon 12 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:56.880 Musk because he has just dug. 13 00:00:56.679 --> 00:00:59.600 A new tunnel in LA. We're going to talk. 14 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:02.799 About the Starbucks barista from Underground, all the things, all 15 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:04.920 the things. I'm actually really excited about this episode, be 16 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:07.760 honest with you, but not as excited as I am 17 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:11.719 about the gift that Ravenlely and I just received from 18 00:01:11.799 --> 00:01:16.799 Kim from Kim's damn it loops cozy loops. I was 19 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:18.599 gonna say cozy Knots, but I'm like, that's not it. 20 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:22.359 I know it's not it. Cozy loops, Kim Loops. If 21 00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:24.519 y'all want to see this. First of all, you got 22 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:26.040 to go to the Patreon. I'll give that plug in 23 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:31.040 a second. But Kim, longtime listener of the show, Patreon supporter, 24 00:01:31.079 --> 00:01:34.359 cult member Throw and Through, actually knitted Raven Lee and 25 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:40.879 I like figures of ourselves. She knitted me a Cajun 26 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:46.040 knight with a sword and shit, y'all, a shield with 27 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:48.920 a Florida Lee the backwards hat, and I get it 28 00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:51.040 because my face and hair and beard and everything. She 29 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:52.599 pretty much had to make it look like he's wearing 30 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:54.519 a backle butt. Look, I ain't mad at it. I'm 31 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:57.519 not mad so much hair so like I. 32 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.840 Did it, But like the fucking cape, the armor, this. 33 00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:05.280 Little knobs that she like detailed the little knobs of 34 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:06.879 the armor on the knees and and stuff. 35 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:07.799 Yeah, that's pretty cool. 36 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:11.840 Oh my god, this is incredible, Kim, thank you so 37 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:14.759 much for these gifts. I'm going to put it behind 38 00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:18.439 me in the studio, probably somewhere between the helmets. 39 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:18.759 Or something like that. 40 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:20.159 But it's not gonna be a today thing because I 41 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:21.840 wanted to be able to get it close enough to 42 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:24.280 the camera to showcase it, like the amount of skill 43 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:26.800 and the amount of time that this must have taken. 44 00:02:26.919 --> 00:02:30.439 I you know, I'm afraid to even guestimate here, but 45 00:02:30.919 --> 00:02:34.960 needless to say, Kim has been a cult member for quite. 46 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:38.199 A while, so we've had some awesome gifts. 47 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:42.400 Shout out to Dirty Sanjez, Timmy two Toes for his 48 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:46.120 epic all his cool shit that he's made, the pyramid 49 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:49.680 and everything. Also Nelson with Flavors of the Forest for 50 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:51.439 sending us all sorts of goodies. 51 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:56.800 Also Royce for making me this epic situation back here 52 00:02:57.159 --> 00:02:57.960 behind my head. 53 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:02.599 Who else? I'm trying to remember everybody. I think I 54 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:04.639 got everybody so far, I'm not sure we've had. Yeah, 55 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:07.400 we've gotten some really awesome stuff from everybody, and we 56 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:09.280 thank you guys so much for you guys' support. 57 00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:12.639 Absolutely And also speaking of Nelson Flavors of the Forest show, 58 00:03:12.680 --> 00:03:14.159 if you want to get your own big Foot Breath, 59 00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:16.639 go to Lincoln the show notes below and use promo 60 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:19.039 code Cults at checkout for fifteen percent off your order. 61 00:03:19.080 --> 00:03:21.240 And he sends us all kinds of awesome goodies. He 62 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:23.879 just sent us rocks, nots of rocks, well for Raven 63 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:27.800 Lee the rocks, but he also sent us both some 64 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:31.080 some printed ar mags that were fucking They were. 65 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:33.639 So cool and honestly, we were trying to like fight 66 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:35.439 over them. I think my apron is like one of 67 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:37.639 my favorite things too. The apron's sike as fuck. 68 00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:38.840 The leather apron. 69 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:41.319 It's almost like it feels like a blacksmith's apron, but 70 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:42.039 it's full, it does. 71 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:43.439 It's fucking dope. 72 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:46.680 So yeah, Nelson's a homie. The mushrooms that he sent us, 73 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:47.840 I still haven't cooked with them yet. 74 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:49.560 I need to. I feel it's okay. 75 00:03:49.719 --> 00:03:52.479 When I have my all my display up, I'll have 76 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:54.560 all the gifts up and stuff, because man, there are 77 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:57.719 so many cool things and I love it. Honestly, I 78 00:03:57.800 --> 00:03:59.919 just I'm a gift giver. That's a that's my lovelingu 79 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:01.639 so like when I get gifts, I'm just. 80 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:02.560 Like, oh my god. 81 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:05.840 And Kim actually made Raven that a raven as well. 82 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:07.039 Yeah, she made me a raven. 83 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:11.280 My children have commedeered it because they have sticky fingers 84 00:04:11.319 --> 00:04:11.960 and they're like. 85 00:04:12.039 --> 00:04:12.599 What is this? 86 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:17.439 What is this epic, cute, adorable raven? Yeah, my child 87 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:19.639 snatched that. I knew she was gonna see it, and 88 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:21.439 she snatched that right up, and I was like, oh, 89 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:23.680 my god, it's for me. I was like, what not 90 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:26.560 fucking for you? You know, I probably won't even see 91 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:28.720 it again to the lad day. She'll have it hidden 92 00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:30.160 away with all of her little treasures. 93 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:32.560 So dude, whenever we get to the new studio space, 94 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:34.560 we're gonna have to just flip her room to find. 95 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:36.199 It because that goes in the studio. 96 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:38.360 But anyway, right, I want to make a little like 97 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:39.319 wired nest. 98 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:44.279 Yeah, ooh that would be pretty cool. Alright, So anyway, 99 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:45.759 we love all our cult members. 100 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:48.319 Thank y'all for the insane amount of gifts that y'all send, 101 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:51.120 the insane amount of support that y'all give us. If 102 00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:53.720 y'all want to send us things to our PO box, 103 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:56.199 Raven knows it because I don't. 104 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:01.639 Like it's PO Box one one four Prairieville, Louisiana, seven 105 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:02.959 zero seven sixty nine. 106 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:05.240 Label it cult a conspiracy. 107 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:06.319 That's the one unless you're. 108 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:08.399 Doesn't matter the size of the box they give us, 109 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:09.240 like a little ticket. 110 00:05:09.639 --> 00:05:10.439 Just hit me though. 111 00:05:10.519 --> 00:05:14.319 If you are sending us something, please message me on 112 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:16.800 one of the platforms. I will look at the messages 113 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:18.959 and said that way, I just know because I don't 114 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:21.120 always go and check the mail every day and so 115 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:23.399 I don't want to miss it or they think I'm 116 00:05:23.480 --> 00:05:23.959 dead again. 117 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:24.800 That's the whole thing. 118 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:27.199 So that was fucking hilarious, Like, okay, for the rest. 119 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:29.600 We were both dead. And I was like, well, for. 120 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:33.000 The record, okay, most of the content creators will go 121 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:35.959 and check their peo box once a month and they 122 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:37.879 will get all the things, and they'll make a big 123 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:40.160 thing about opening the things in the peo box. We 124 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:42.680 don't go and check for three weeks and they just assume, yeah, 125 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:43.480 well they're dead now. 126 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:44.959 So it's like, I'm sorry the fuck. 127 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:48.079 I was like, well, it's the post. 128 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:52.399 I'm here to my house every day. 129 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:54.120 With the Yeah, I don't know. 130 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:56.279 It was a vibe, but yeah, just let me know 131 00:05:56.360 --> 00:05:59.160 if you guys are Patreon members. I check the Patreon 132 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:03.759 messages really frequently. We have all sorts of fun tabs 133 00:06:03.879 --> 00:06:08.639 up right now. Burke Burke, what was he saying? Bok Nerd, 134 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:15.240 book Nerds. That's what I was trying to say. 135 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:19.199 Well, all the old YouTube people know Id Burks. 136 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:21.279 I know. That's all I heard. 137 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:24.079 Well, that was the whole vibe that just happened. I 138 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:26.160 got the we got the book Nerd Club, we got 139 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:30.000 the Fat Kids at aka the Recipe Club, but we 140 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:33.000 also have the Manic Teer Private messaging and stuff, and 141 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:35.000 I also check all the other ones as well. 142 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:37.360 Jacob does too, but not as much as me. 143 00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:39.079 So and if you want to be a part of that, 144 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:42.839 and also see these amazing knitted art pieces that our 145 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:46.600 Homegirl cult member Supreme Kim sent to us, and also 146 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:48.759 all the videos that we're going to be showing this episode, 147 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:52.079 the articles talking about the La tunnels. The wach you 148 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:54.240 do is go to patreon dot com slash cult to 149 00:06:54.279 --> 00:06:56.720 Conspiracy Podcast. It is the only place to get the 150 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:00.000 videos of our episodes, but also it is the only 151 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:06.079 place to get these shows. Absolutely, commercial suck. 152 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:08.240 Ads suck. We know that. 153 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:10.480 And you've been listening for a few minutes now, so 154 00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:13.879 you've probably gotten the opening commercials. You're probably about to 155 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:16.279 get another commercial break right now. Kick those ads out 156 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:19.439 of here. Come support us directly over at Patreon. But 157 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:21.680 that's for that lower tier. If you go to that 158 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:24.160 next tier up, that third eye all the way open tier, 159 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:26.399 you'll also get to join us every Tuesday night for 160 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:29.160 our cult member live events. There are always a fun 161 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:32.720 Unhinged Fiasco where we talk about any and everything that 162 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:34.040 the cult members want to talk about. 163 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:36.720 It's always a blast. We thoroughly enjoy our Tuesday nights. 164 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:37.879 We talk a lot about food. 165 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:38.800 We talk about. 166 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:42.600 Food, we talk about things, just stuff, just things. But anyway, 167 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:45.279 come join us for our Tuesday night cult member lives. 168 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:48.040 But also that top tier, that Manic Tier. If you 169 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:50.600 go there, you will get everything I've just listened, but 170 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:53.639 you will also be receiving exclusive merchandise mail directly to 171 00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:56.560 you from us as a massive token of our appreciation 172 00:07:56.600 --> 00:07:58.279 for you supporting us in this way. This merch will 173 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:01.720 never be available in any online store or anything like this. 174 00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:05.000 This is only for the top tier cult members of 175 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:08.360 the Manic Type. But also you will be receiving an 176 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:13.480 exclusive episode once a month that y'all get to choose. Honestly, 177 00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:15.879 we take a poll, We ask the Manic Tier members 178 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:17.360 what do y'all want us to go on next? We 179 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:19.839 take votes and they decide what we shoot on. We 180 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:22.240 just did one about the Great Wall of China and 181 00:08:22.279 --> 00:08:22.800 it was fun. 182 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:23.879 I thought it was a blast. 183 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:26.800 It is a really interesting episode. Honestly, Yeah, a lot 184 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:27.120 of things. 185 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:29.040 I think a lot of people don't really know about 186 00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:30.879 the Great Wall and all the things, but it's got 187 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:33.039 so much controversy around it because the Internet be Internet 188 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:34.080 and it was a fun one. 189 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:34.879 I thought it was great. 190 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:37.120 So if you want to do that, get a part 191 00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:39.399 of it, man, come join us over at Patreon. Also, 192 00:08:39.399 --> 00:08:41.759 we are still running the promo. If you sign up 193 00:08:41.799 --> 00:08:45.039 for the entire year of whatever tier doesn't matter, you 194 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:47.919 will get twenty five percent off. You do the math 195 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:52.960 on that, that is three months free. Find me another group, 196 00:08:53.039 --> 00:08:56.279 another content creation group that is offering as much content 197 00:08:56.399 --> 00:08:58.720 as we do on our channel, between us, our affiliates 198 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:01.559 and everything that has all bring you this type of. 199 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:03.279 Value for that price. 200 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:06.080 I challenge you and if you can find one, DMUs, 201 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:08.200 I would love to know which one it is not, 202 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:11.159 so I got start shading. No, I genuinely want to know, 203 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:12.799 so we could probably reach out to these people and 204 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:15.600 become homies. Beside the points, we're doing the most that 205 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:18.639 we can for you are cult members, because honestly we 206 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:19.240 work for you. 207 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:20.679 Everybody listening to this. 208 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:22.840 On the Spotify, on the Apple podcast, on the wherever 209 00:09:22.919 --> 00:09:26.759 you're listening, we genuinely do what we do for you, 210 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:29.600 and we want to hear more feedback from you. So 211 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:34.559 without any further ado. Let's get to the LA Tunnels, 212 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:36.759 all right, So we are actually going to start off 213 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:40.679 because this guy, this YouTube channel called its History, did 214 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:44.440 a bang up job of explaining the backstory here the 215 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:48.600 official narrative, if you will, of how the LA Tunnels 216 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:51.200 came to be, when they were started to really get 217 00:09:51.240 --> 00:09:53.960 you know, dug out and for what purpose and all 218 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:54.559 these things. 219 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:57.360 And I think that you know what, give credit where 220 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:58.679 credits due. Go check them out. 221 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:02.480 It's history on YouTube, and let's learn together cult members 222 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:04.679 about these LA Tunnels. 223 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:08.759 Let's go back to a time before Los Angeles became 224 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:12.240 the sprawling metropolis it is today. You see, back then, 225 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:16.919 it faced significant challenges due to its geography. For more context, 226 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:20.360 in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, much of 227 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:23.679 downtown was surrounded by hills like Bunker Hill in Fort 228 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:28.799 Moore Hill, where wealthy families lived in mansions and exclusive neighborhoods. However, 229 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:33.559 as the streetcar system grew and new suburbs like Hollywood emerged, 230 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:38.200 these hills became a barrier to infrastructure development, limiting the 231 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:43.600 city's growth merged, these hills became a barrier to infrastructure development, 232 00:10:43.960 --> 00:10:48.399 limiting the city's growth and expansion north and west. One 233 00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:51.080 major challenge came down to the fact that street cars 234 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:55.440 which connected downtown with the suburbs couldn't really climb steep hills, 235 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:57.679 so they had to go all the way around them. 236 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:01.120 As an effect of this, traveling was unpleasant, with the 237 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:05.039 routes prolonged and crowded when heading towards the rapidly growing 238 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:08.519 areas of the city like Hollywood or Glendale. So naturally, 239 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:11.919 engineers and urban planners of the time sought solutions to 240 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:15.120 address this very issue, and it was then that they 241 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:18.759 began to modify the terrain. So, with few alternatives to 242 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:23.639 solving the city's traffic problem, underground tunnels became an indispensable 243 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:27.759 solution for improving mobility within Los Angeles. One of the 244 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:31.279 first was Hill Street Tunnel, inaugurated in nineteen oh nine, 245 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:34.440 with construction dating back to nineteen oh seven, led by 246 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:38.399 the Pacific Electric Railway, the electric streetcar company that connected 247 00:11:38.440 --> 00:11:41.480 Los Angeles to its suburbs. This project was funded by 248 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:44.679 the one and only Henry E. Huntington. Anyhow, it was 249 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:47.679 built with the Red cars in mind, which made up 250 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:50.879 the largest streetcar network in the world back then. Spanning 251 00:11:50.879 --> 00:11:53.840 over one thousand miles of track in its prime, and 252 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:56.639 hence the Hill Street Tunnel, which was approximately two thousand, 253 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.879 six hundred feet in length, was excavated to allow streetcar 254 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:03.000 to pass through the hill and avoid the surface traffic. 255 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:07.080 Although much of the work was manual, excavation technologies already 256 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:10.240 included using dynamite to break down rocks, as well as 257 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:14.519 steam powered excavation equipment to move the displaced materials. After 258 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:17.840 two years of work, the tunnel was complete. This tunnel 259 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:21.240 was crucial for connecting downtown Los Angeles to growing areas 260 00:12:21.279 --> 00:12:24.720 like Hollywood and Glendale, and effectively reduced travel time by 261 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:29.559 approximately fifteen minutes, a significant saving. This tunnel also allowed 262 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:32.759 street cars to pass directly under the hills instead of 263 00:12:32.759 --> 00:12:36.159 circling around them, making the journey much faster and efficient. 264 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:39.720 It also happened to reduce street congestion, which was becoming 265 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:42.720 an issue with the increased number of automobiles in the 266 00:12:42.759 --> 00:12:46.200 city growing by the day. At that time, Other vital 267 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:49.679 tunnels were also excavated, such as the Fourth Street Tunnel, 268 00:12:49.799 --> 00:12:52.600 which connected downtown with the western part of the city, 269 00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:56.000 whereas Imbunker Hill. In addition to leveling parts of the Hill. 270 00:12:56.120 --> 00:13:00.679 Additional tunnels were constructed to facilitate streetcar movement in rugged terrain, 271 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:05.320 and like Magic, Los Angeles expanded into new residential and 272 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:09.279 commercial areas. However, well tunnels like the Hill Street and 273 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:13.639 Fourth Street were excavated for streetcar transport. Another lesser known 274 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:17.840 network began to take shape beneath downtown. The Los Angeles 275 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:22.279 City Administration and various private entities such as banks, commissioned 276 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:26.120 the construction of other tunnels to facilitate the transportation of 277 00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:30.399 sensitive things like money, important documents, and even prisoners. 278 00:13:30.919 --> 00:13:32.919 I did want to make a mention at this point 279 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:38.240 so I can understand why they started the first tunnel, especially, 280 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:40.879 and I know you might be thinking yourself, why was 281 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:46.240 La becoming this growing metropolis. Hollywood wasn't the place for 282 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:48.320 movies to be made like it is today, or it 283 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:51.639 was in the Golden Age anyway, not at nineteen oh seven, 284 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:54.519 right like when they first started construction on this tunnel. 285 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:57.200 So you might be asking yourself, a cult member, why 286 00:13:57.320 --> 00:14:00.440 is it that La was growing so rapidly. We're gonna 287 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:02.320 get to that in a bit. It does, in fact 288 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:06.080 involve crude oil and the ins they say oil and 289 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:10.240 gold insane drilling operation, like and we're gonna get to 290 00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:12.240 that in a bit, but all right, the first couple 291 00:14:12.279 --> 00:14:16.279 of tunnels for transit purposes, okay, completely understand that, no 292 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:19.960 no red flags on the play just yet. And then 293 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:24.720 almost immediately they get into this, they start building tunnels 294 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:30.840 for transportation of money, of prisoners, of important documents, whatever 295 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:33.639 the case. And it was like, Okay, now we're starting 296 00:14:33.639 --> 00:14:36.879 to tiptoe into the potentials of some fuck shit going 297 00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:39.080 on as to why these tunnels are built. 298 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:43.080 Well, remember though, because the other cities that we've discussed though, 299 00:14:43.159 --> 00:14:49.200 had already established tunnel systems prior to LA's tunnel systems, right, 300 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:51.360 and we know that people were already down there because 301 00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:55.840 the gold Rush brought people all across the entirety of California. 302 00:14:56.480 --> 00:14:59.559 So you know, it's it's taken things out of the 303 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:03.039 book of San Francisco, out of Portland, out of Seattle, 304 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:05.360 you know, Santa Barbara, they have them. 305 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:06.639 They're all over the place. 306 00:15:06.759 --> 00:15:10.399 We haven't touched on every single tunnel system in California, 307 00:15:10.440 --> 00:15:13.720 but there is well established tunnels and underground cities throughout 308 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:16.440 the entirety of the state. So absolutely I could see 309 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:19.279 them doing this just like everything else was Los Angeles. 310 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:21.879 And forgive me for any of our West Coast listeners here, 311 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:26.039 LA doesn't or there wasn't a lot of gold found there, correct, 312 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:28.200 I mean, there may be some, but it's not like 313 00:15:29.039 --> 00:15:31.840 San Francisco. I completely understand. It's the closest port to 314 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:34.279 the Sierra Nevada were again. 315 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:37.840 Because I'm pretty sure that LA found the biggest one, right, 316 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:42.440 like outside of LA if they have the biggest Eureka, right, 317 00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:47.000 Eureka was found there. That Okay, I think let me 318 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:48.240 let me look it up for sure. 319 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:51.559 I do love history, but the master of all things, 320 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:53.360 I just as you're talking about the boom, like you 321 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:55.080 said oil and gold, and I'm like, yeah, that makes sense. 322 00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:57.960 But I'm like, wait a minute. Did LA have a 323 00:15:58.320 --> 00:15:59.600 quote unquote. 324 00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:01.960 Gold rush for actual gold or was it people that 325 00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:04.159 had made their money decided to say. 326 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:08.080 Two hundred and twelve pounds in the initial years which 327 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:11.919 took which total historical gold production for all of Los 328 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:17.200 Angeles County reached one hundred and nine thousand ounces almost 329 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:19.879 one hundred and ten thousand ounces valued at two million 330 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.000 to four million in the nineteenth century. 331 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:26.159 It's not that's not like bad by any means, but 332 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:28.679 it's not the same as like we got from more 333 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:29.320 up north. 334 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:31.879 But yeah, I'm. 335 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:37.840 Pretty positive that Eureka was found in was found in LA. 336 00:16:37.879 --> 00:16:42.840 Interesting, like Eka mean the first gold nugget, Yeah, the biggest. 337 00:16:42.519 --> 00:16:46.519 Gold nugget, I think it was Eureka. 338 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:49.919 Lemon was first found and propagated in LA in eighteen 339 00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:50.480 fifty eight. 340 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:51.799 Got you okay? 341 00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:52.240 Fair so? 342 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:56.039 Yeah you got a lemon sized nugget of gold. Yeah, 343 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:58.000 people going to come to find a little snippet of it, 344 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:01.279 Yeah for sure. Okay, fair enough. But anyway, like I 345 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:04.119 was saying, we could understand why they started the tunnel 346 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:09.359 transit system and then private entities, banks and wealthy business 347 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:12.720 people started digging their own tunnels for their own purposes. 348 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:16.720 And of course, on the record, it was for transporting 349 00:17:17.160 --> 00:17:20.079 money and transporting official things from point A to point 350 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:23.119 B without the dangers of going top side. 351 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:26.440 But is that the only reason I think not? 352 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:30.799 I accidentally got it wrong. Eureka was a different nugget 353 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:33.400 that was found. The biggest nugget was found is called 354 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:37.279 the Majave nugget, which is similarly associated with Eureka, but 355 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:38.799 that was found in nineteen seventy seven. 356 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:43.160 The Mohave Desert and it is like four point nine. 357 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:47.559 That says one point one hundred and fifty six. Troy 358 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:52.640 ounces this is what it says. Cool. So yeah, so Eureka, though, 359 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:54.519 is a part of it too, And I'm not really 360 00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:57.240 I glanced over that, so I didn't actually look at it. 361 00:17:57.319 --> 00:18:02.759 But the Mohave nugget is housed in La So that's why. 362 00:18:02.119 --> 00:18:04.839 Kind of got misconstruted. But yeah, fair enough. 363 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:07.400 So that's a little bit of why the city started 364 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:09.240 to grow so crazy. We're going to talk more about 365 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:11.400 the oil industry there and all that here in a moment, 366 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:13.799 but like I'm saying, at this point, we start to 367 00:18:13.799 --> 00:18:17.799 see private equities started digging their own tunnels, and things 368 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:20.799 kind of just got sideways from there, but let's continue. 369 00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:25.240 Unlike the extensive public transportation tunnels, these smaller ones weren't 370 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:28.279 built to move passengers across the city. Rather, they were 371 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:33.319 meant to fulfill critical administrative and logistical functions. In particular, 372 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:36.799 this secret network of tunnels connected critical areas of the 373 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:41.480 civic center where courts, jails, and banks were located. These 374 00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:46.079 underground routes also allowed daily operations to occur efficiently without 375 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:49.359 crossing the crowded streets of downtown. Although much shorter and 376 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:52.359 more complex than the tunnels built for street cars, they 377 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:56.279 were reinforced with concrete to insure stability, and hence the 378 00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:59.720 tunnels were gradually built connecting the buildings as the city 379 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:02.920 ex expanded. Many of the entrances to these tunnels were 380 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:06.680 hidden in the basements of buildings or beneath important structures, 381 00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:10.279 allowing easy and discrete access for those who used them well. 382 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:13.920 The exact construction cost of this network was not well documented, 383 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:17.680 they were likely part of a general expense associated with 384 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:22.240 constructing buildings in the Civic Center and other private institutions downtown. 385 00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:25.319 By the nineteen twenties, it was estimated that there were 386 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:29.240 around eleven miles of tunnel under the city of Los Angeles, 387 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:33.119 particularly in the downtown area. Thus, what began as a 388 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:37.279 solution to Los Angeles' geographic and traffic problems would soon 389 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:40.000 evolve into a network of underground routes that shaped the 390 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:44.079 city's transportation, but only to later play a role in 391 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:45.119 its darker history. 392 00:19:45.920 --> 00:20:11.680 A and now, of course, we get to the underbelly, 393 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:14.920 to the crime, to the bootleggers. 394 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:20.720 Inter Prohibition nineteen twenty, the nation underwent a drastic change 395 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:25.279 with the implementation of prohibition, which made the production, sale, 396 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:29.680 and transportation of alcohol totally illegal. As the country adjusted 397 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:32.880 to this new reality, the underground of Los Angeles became 398 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:35.880 the perfect refuge for those seeking to evade the law. 399 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:40.200 With over eleven miles of underground passages, these tunnels were 400 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:45.160 repurposed as secret routes for moving smuggled alcohol. The tunnels 401 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:49.200