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John Hollenhorst ReportingIt's a place that's just too dangerous for people. On the other hand, it's just totally cool. Those conflicting attitudes have ignited controversy in Emery County's San Rafael Swell. The issue is what to do about an enormous tunnel pockmarked with huge craters.
The structures date back a half century to a spectacular Cold War experiment. For safety reasons government agencies want to seal them off, but some people wish they could stay open for their historic and scenic values.
At first it looks like a typical mine, but then you see daylight flooding in, deep inside. The thousand foot long tunnel opens skyward to enormous vaulted ceilings and skylights yawning high above.High and outside, above the tunnel, there are several huge craters. It's as if bombs or meteorites plunged into the earth to expose the tunnel.
Ray Petersen, Emery County Public Lands Director: "There's a lot of people that show up here, even local folks that come here and say, 'What exactly happened?' And if they're not from this area, they haven't got a clue."
The tunnels and craters are artifacts of the Cold War in the 1950's. The US eventually developed an Air Defense command center in Colorado's Cheyenne Mountain. It's depicted in the title sequence from the movie "War Games." It was meant to be invulnerable to nuclear attack.
Before it was built, the Pentagon experimented in different rock types. In Utah they drilled enormous tunnels in sandstone. Explosives were placed on top and blown up to simulate nuclear explosions; one blast, a third of a million pounds of explosives.
Rik Ombach, Utah Dept. of Environmental Quality: "From what I've observed, hah, hah, the tunnel didn't hold up too well. I don't think anything would have survived a blast of that size."
Ray Petersen: "You can see the graffiti's an indication of a lot of people using this, coming here, spending time in here."
The abandoned experiment site is now popular with hikers, picnickers and the party crowd. But government agencies want to seal it off because of rock falls from the fractured ceilings and dangerous dropoffs from the crater rims into the tunnel.
Mark Mesch, Utah Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program: "If you take a header off of a forty foot cliff, you're likely going to die. And we have about an eighty foot drop off the first one."
Local officials and residents initially resisted closure of what they consider an ultra-cool attraction.
Ray Petersen: "It's impressive. The scale of what's taken place here, and the size of it, it's magnificent."
Of course there are thousands of natural wonders in Utah where you can be hit by falling rocks or fall off a cliff, and no one even thinks about making all those places safe. The difference here is that it is man-made. If you fall in, there's someone to sue.
Mark Mesch: "The government agencies currently have the liability. And they don't want the liability."
Ultimately, even Emery County officials reluctantly accepted that logic and voted to support closure. Some openings will be closed with grates, so light will still flood in and visitors will still be able to see inside.
