FRESNO, CA (KMJ) It’s been a Fresno mystery for nearly a century. But now, thanks to exhaustive work by the Fresno Historical Society, we’ve got an answer as to the purpose of dozens of large, ornate lanterns that were discovered in downtown by High Speed Rail workers in the Summer of 2025.
President of the FHS, Elizabeth Laval, tells KMJ’s Ray Appleton that the Belmont Underpass lanterns lit the tunnel for trolleys and walking paths in the late ’20s and early ’30s. The discovery and confirmation was helped greatly by photos taken by Laval’s great-grandfather – renowned photographer Pop Laval.
