I know the history of the Meramec Highlands Tunnel and the Barrett's tunnel. Does anyone know the history of the other tunnel in Kirkwood? The one to the east of Barretts Station Road? Joe
The Barretts Tunnels were constructed by the Pacific Railroad Company during 1851-1853. Originally the Barretts Station tunnels included the east tunnel 1 at 630' long and the west tunnel 2 at 440' long. Both have seen erosion over their 170+ years. Today both bores are a little shorter. The story of their development and history is interesting to read. The Frisco used trackage rights through these tunnels between Pacific and St. Louis until we built our own line between these points. That segment also included a tunnel just a mile to the south at Meramec Highlands. A short but detailed narrative is presented below. Please see the below link to the National Register Of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Barretts Tunnels.pdf Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
