An entire town – underground. That’s what the founders of Ellinwood created for themselves in the 1870s. At the time, it was a practical invention. The Santa Fe Trail passed along the south border of town, bringing 100 teams a day through during peak seasons. At 5 men per-wagon team, that traffic translated to about 500 rough-and-tumble men a day rolling in to town. It may have been good for business, but the Ellinwood establishment wanted a way to keep the streets respectable.
