Whittier Tunnels

Q: What do you know about the Whittier Tunnels?

JM: “Ok so basically there’s this whole tunnel system in Whittier and it stretches out to nearby cities like Pico and La Mirada. I don’t know where it stops but it reaches through different parts of Whittier like Whittier High School. There’s different ways to enter the tunnel, but some parts of the tunnel are so small and dark from what I heard.”

Q: When did you first hear about the story?

JM: “It first started in middle school, that was when the tunnels were mentioned but it wasn’t until high school where I learned that one of the tunnel entrances was underneath the basement of the school. I was so shocked. My teacher actually took us down there at the end of the year just to see the basement and the entrance to the tunnel. It’s super creepy though. It’s just super dark.”

Analysis: The story of the Whittier Tunnels are well-known throughout the city of Whittier, CA. Under the city is different tunnels that stretch to different parts of neighboring cities such as La Mirada and Pico Rivera. The tunnels were seemingly built around the construction of the city around the late 1800s. One of the entrances to the tunnels is underneath the basement of Whittier High School, as the informant describes.