Digging up the truth about the Mission Inn’s catacombs

Previously shrouded in mystery, the catacombs beneath the historic Mission Inn & Spa in Riverside are once again open to the public, offering visitors the chance to explore.

Tales about the tunnels beneath the well-known hotel play up the intrigue — there are stories about prohibition-era smuggling and secret societies — but the reason they were actually constructed may be a surprise.

Hoping to clear up the hearsay and share the space as it was always meant to be shared, hotel owner Duane Roberts and his wife, Kelly Roberts, agreed to reopen the catacombs this fall after some mandatory safety improvements.

General counsel for the historic Mission Inn, Patrick O’Brien, leads a tour of the hotel’s catacombs in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

A pirate looms in a Halloween-themed display in a room along the narrow halls under the Mission Inn in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Stained glass windows are viewable in the Mission Inn catacombs in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Mission Inn ambassador Patty Iverson, center, leads a tour of the historic Mission Inn catacombs under the hotel in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Halloween-themed displays decorate the narrow halls of the catacombs beneath the historic Mission Inn in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

General counsel for the historic Mission Inn, Patrick O’Brien, leads a tour of the hotel’s catacombs in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Halloween-themed displays decorate the narrow halls of the catacombs beneath the historic Mission Inn in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Visitors tour the historic Mission Inn’s catacombs in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Mission Inn ambassador Patty Iverson, left, leads a tour of the historic Mission Inn catacombs under the hotel in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Visitors tour the historic Mission Inn’s catacombs in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Halloween-themed displays decorate the narrow halls of the catacombs beneath the historic Mission Inn in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Stained glass windows are viewable in the Mission Inn catacombs in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Skeletons sit at a dinner table in a Halloween-themed display in a room along the narrow hallways under the historic Mission Inn in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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General counsel for the historic Mission Inn, Patrick O’Brien, leads a tour of the hotel’s catacombs in Riverside on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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The catacombs date back to 1917 and were always meant to house hotel builder Frank Miller’s vast art collection, according to Patrick O’Brien, Mission Inn & Spa spokesperson.

“Frank Miller was a collector, and he bought and bought and bought. He had more and more stuff and needed more space to display his art,” O’Brien said in an interview. “He thought, ‘Well, if I do it underground, it would be nice and cool, and my guests can come to view art down here.”

Included in Miller’s expansive collection were 38 Henry Chapman Ford mission paintings, 36 of them hanging in the hotel‘s Spanish Gallery today.

Myths about the tunnels, such as the rumored smuggling of illegal alcohol to and from the hotel in the 1920s, are nothing more than that, O’Brien said.

“Frank Miller was more of a teetotaler, so I don’t think that would have fit with the narrative,” O’Brien added. “I don’t know that there were a lot of prohibition activities going on down here because he wouldn’t have liked it.”

Does the hotel have a lengthy tunnel system to Mt. Rubidoux or other buildings nearby? The answer is mostly no, according to O’Brien. Miller is said to have had an interest in technology and was one of the first to have utilities, such as electricity.

“My understanding is there are tunnels, maybe not like this, but smaller sub-tunnels where he shared his technology, electricity, and other things with other buildings around here,” O’Brien said.

Though the stained glass windows and carved arches of the catacombs give them a mausoleum-like feel, O’Brien said no graves have been found despite what some believed may have been the purpose for the subterranean space.

Catacomb tours for those over age 16 are offered at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday. Tickets are $30 for guests and $40 for non-hotel guests.

Guests of the tour will find themselves led through long, candle-lit pathways while learning about the artistic touches, such as mosaic tiles and sculpted swirling columns, beneath the hotel’s surface.

Despite most of the rumors being just that, the dark space still holds a bit of mystery for those who wish to travel to the depths and explore.

Due to interest, the Halloween-themed version of the catacombs tour has been extended through November, and a hotel spokesperson said a non-fright-themed tour could be added to the regular history tour in the future.

For more information, see missioninn.com or call 951-784-0300.

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