We’re a bit conflicted on this one. One the one hand, the fact that the people from the “Action Squad” discovered and explored an amazing array sand tunnels used by the St Paul Ford Plant to supply silica to make glass for decades. On the other hand, they pretty much broke into an active Ford plant, evaded security, and broke a pile of laws in the process. Throwing that out there, the history of these tunnels is pretty awesome.
Henry Ford’s genius was in manufacturing and the stories of his ability to maximize efficiency and productivity are legend. He used the wooden boxes that Model T magnetos were shipped in as the floorboards of the cars and in Minnesota, he apparently discovered huge sand deposits under one of his factories and built a glass plant to maximize his operation.
According to the history on the “Action Squad” site, the mines were active in the 1920s and 1930s, but have sat virtually dormant since. In their explorations the squad found what amounts to miles of tunnels, areas of collapse, different access points, and one of the neatest hidden treasures in the St Paul area.
Their first trip into the mines seems to have come back in 2000. It is during their return in 2008 that they essentially break into the plant and evade security and employees before finding their way back down into the maze underground.
Take the time to read the history and check out the stories. They make for compelling reading, even if you are compelled to curse the explorers for sneaking into the plant!
Thanks to Lars Ekberg for the tip!
LINK: Exploring the sand tunnels at Ford’s St. Paul Plant
We used to sneak into these caves with a case of beer in high school. Great fun!!
A1 seince day1