10/22/2025

Hell Tunnel


On a recent beautiful autumn day, we were in Faribault to investigate the old hospital ruins, and we decided to walk through and investigate the infamous “Hell Tunnel” aka the Tipi Tonka Tunnel.  Throughout the years that we have investigated sites in and around Faribault, townspeople have told us about this legend; wildly haunted, scary beyond belief.  I’m guessing it was coined Hell Tunnel because of that reputation, but for me I think it is a great name because it was a shortcut to the Faribault State Hospital and School, an insane asylum that probably felt like hell to many of its patients.  These patients were looked at by society as imbeciles, they were said to be stupid, and feeble-minded.  Families brought them there to be put away out of the public eye, many for their entire lives.  These poor souls were ostracized from society, dumped in an institution where they were pretty much ignored.  We have heard stories about this hospital (Faribault’s dirty little secret) where abuse was widespread.  It is said that patients were chained to beds and walls, there was much sexual abuse, and honestly, I can only imagine what they lived with.  

The tunnel is wet in places, it is dark and heavily graffitied throughout its 442-foot length, and adorned with dim overhead lights every 10 feet or so.  The three of us who poked around in the tunnel are all intuitive, and none of us felt any kind of paranormal presence-nada.  We had our K2 meters poised and ready, but no activity.  It lacked any kind of eerie feeling, and to me it felt like nothing more than a dark tunnel beneath the hill.  Is it scary?  Well, if you happen to traverse it after dark, sure.  Imaginations run wild in a dark and damp place beneath the earth.  I wouldn't be worried about otherworldy presences in that tunnel, what I would be worried about in the dark would be the presence of living beings on this side of the veil.

We did not detect any paranormal presence or activity in our two walks through this paranormal legend, and in fact it felt oddly normal, much to our dismay.  I mean, who doesn’t love a good scare? We filmed a video of us walking through the tunnel - click here.

Our investigations on the Faribault State Hospital and School, and our team is looking for more information on the actual hospital and school as well as the farm colonies just outside of town.  We would love to talk to anyone who has personal knowledge these places.  If you do?  Please contact us by either dropping us a message via the Supernatural Investigators of Minnesota facebook page, or send us an email to siminnesota@gmail.com.

Until next time...