Cricket and Crest Tunnels facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cricket and Crest Tunnels Historic District
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| Nearest city | Omaha, Arkansas |
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| Area | 25.5 acres (10.3 ha) |
| Built | 1903 |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000954 |
| Added to NRHP | September 19, 2007 |
The Cricket Tunnel and Crest Tunnel are two old railroad tunnels in northern Arkansas. They are near a town called Omaha in Boone County. These tunnels were built a long time ago, in the early 1900s, by a company called the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
The Crest Tunnel is super long, about 3,500 feet (1,100 m)! It's the longest tunnel in Arkansas. It's also special because it's the only curved tunnel in the state. Both tunnels were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, which means they are important historical sites.
Cricket Tunnel
The Cricket Tunnel runs from the northwest to the southeast. It goes under Old United States Route 65 south of Omaha. This tunnel is 2,657 feet (810 m) long.
One end of the tunnel, the northwestern side, has a nice concrete finish. It also has strong walls that stick out a bit. The other end, the southeast side, looks different. It was simply dug out of the natural rock.
Inside the tunnel, much of it is lined with steel and concrete. This was needed because the tunnel goes through an area with soft mud and wet clay.
Building the Cricket Tunnel
Both the Cricket and Crest tunnels were built at the same time, between 1903 and 1905. Crews from the Missouri Pacific Railroad worked on them. Building the Cricket Tunnel took longer than expected. This was because of the tricky clay they found. Also, a rockslide happened inside the tunnel in September 1904, which caused more delays.
Because rocks kept falling, a concrete lining was added to the tunnel in 1906. More work was done in 1916. During this time, the top part of the southern 500 feet (150 m) of the tunnel was removed.
Crest Tunnel
The Crest Tunnel also runs in a northwest-to-southeast direction. It is located northwest of Omaha. This tunnel goes under Arkansas Highway 14.
The northwest entrance of the Crest Tunnel is unfinished. It looks like it was just dug out of the ground. At 3,500 feet (1,100 m) long, this tunnel is the longest in Arkansas. It's also unique because it has a curve near its southwestern entrance. This tunnel was dug entirely through solid rock.
