John Sims relocated to Tucson, Arizona, intending to enjoy a quieter life. He never anticipated it to be one of the most memorable experiences of his life. It all started when the previous owner of his new home informed him of a worrisome rumor.
Apparently, something was said to be buried on the land. John couldn’t get it out of his mind, so he began digging in the backyard. What he discovered gave him goosebumps. He clearly did not sign up for this.
When John Sims learned that a friend was selling a house in midtown Tucson, Arizona, he was eager to close the sale. Because the owner was a buddy, he knew he was in capable hands. But once the paperwork was completed, his acquaintance informed him of a rumor concerning the property.
The town’s elders believe that something intriguing is buried somewhere in it. His pal never solved the mystery, but perhaps John will. As it turned out, John discovered something that would have the entire state of Arizona talking.
As John began to transfer his stuff into his new home, he remembered what his friend had said. He was fascinated and intrigued. Soon, he was keen to discover the secrets of his new land.
John began exploring his property and digging. He ended up digging four different holes throughout the backyard, but John discovered nothing. If he couldn’t locate anything beneath the grass, it must be under the bricks.
John obtained city records and discovered the record of his house being erected. It revealed the existence of an unusual building built in 1961 by a business called Whitaker Pools. Now that he had proof that something was buried on the land, John was motivated to solve the mystery.
He engaged specialists who used metal detectors to help him pinpoint the exact location. A team arrived with appropriate equipment and checked John’s backyard. The metal detectors soon began to go off. John noted the two locations that triggered the metal detectors with a large X chalk mark.
After sending the consultants home, John enthusiastically grabbed a shovel and began digging. It wasn’t long before his shovel hit something metal. He finally discovered something three feet beneath the grass. Now that he had made progress, John decided to pause and reflect.
What if this were a septic tank? What if he damages or breaks a pipe? He needed to work carefully. But as he dug about with care, he had the sensation that this was something special. He was going to unravel a mystery in his yard.
John later discovered what appeared to be the entrance to a hatch. He bent down to remove the dirt and pry the metal lid open. As a precaution, John avoided inhaling too much, as there was a significant risk of mold spores or hazardous gas vapors.
John left the lid open for roughly a day to allow any air from below to escape and fresh air to enter the structure. He also understood that the air had to be checked for mold before he could enter the enclosed space.
The next morning, John looked inside the hatch. He discovered a spiral staircase that led below. Most people would be so excited that they would rush down, but John was not so naive.
He understood better. As a captain in the Rural/Metro Fire Department, he needed someone nearby in case the lid dropped back in. He was at home alone right now, and there was no way he could remove the lid from underneath on his own.
John was well aware of the dangers, given his extensive training and experience rescuing persons stuck in small areas. He could tell the staircase was unstable, and entering the shaft alone would pose too many risks.
John decided to form a squad. He invited several friends over to assist him out. They might assist him with the excavation, and some could serve as spotters when it was safe to explore what was inside the shaft.
When the group met the next day, they sat down and created a blueprint. They also debated how to continue. One of the first things they performed was repair and fortify the concrete framework that surrounded the staircase.
They placed Sonotube cardboard around the entryway to prevent them from damaging anything while working. John and his team labored to lay down layers of concrete and secure the rebar within the hatch.
John had to cover the hatch with a tarpaulin to protect both it and the team. The Arizona heat was starting to become an issue. During their breaks to cool off from the heat, they speculated on what might be down there.
There was a lot to do to locate the answers. An electrical line needed to be constructed so that they could have sufficient lighting within the shaft and use power equipment as needed. A black pipe was also fitted to supply fresh air to the shaft.
Finally, they completed their work around the structure. But the spiral staircase presented another challenge. The steps were so rusted that it was impossible to discern whether they could support any weight. They needed to find another way inside without taking the stairs.
The team used a ladder, and John had to climb down cautiously to avoid getting cut on the rusty stairs. John was bubbling with enthusiasm. He was going to be the first one to unravel the enigma. This was the moment he’d been waiting for.
John was able to reach the bottom and was relieved that they did not have to dig any further. But there was still work to be done. The tunnels’ ceilings were covered with fiberglass, which was gradually coming apart. This indicated that the building was still not secure.
John looked around attentively and couldn’t believe that, despite nearly half a century of neglect, the structure remained mostly in decent condition. The construction seemed basic, but eventually it became evident what it was: John had a nuclear bomb bunker in his backyard!
Suddenly, everything made sense. The bunker was created during the Cold War, when tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union posed the possibility of a full-scale nuclear war. Whitaker Pools ended up expanding their business to include bomb shelters.
In fact, some residences in the Tucson region contained bomb shelters. Back then, it was the finest thing a good family man could do to ensure his loved ones’ safety in the event of a nuclear war.
As it turns out, there is a long history of bombings in Tucson. Tucson was formerly a rocket town, with 18 ballistic missiles capable of flying across continents and destroying an area of 900 square miles.
The government maintained the missile silos top secret, and when the Cold War ended, almost all of the rockets were disabled. The majority of nuclear shelters were demolished or sealed in the early 1980s as well.
When John posted about his garden discovery on Reddit, the tale quickly went viral. The post received hundreds of comments in only a few hours. Local newspapers and television channels began phoning to want interviews about it.
The news even reached international publications such as the Daily Mail. John’s story had also reached Japan. It was undoubtedly a big find. Tucson locals began to wonder if they had one in their own yard.
All of the attention allowed John to connect with others in the neighborhood who also have fallout shelters on their property. He was able to ask them how they cleaned it out and got suggestions on what to do with it.
While most individuals transformed theirs into wine cellars or man caves, John intends to create a Cold War museum. John conducted extensive research on the Cold War period and began collecting items such as Geiger detectors, water supply barrels, HAM radios, and sanitation kits.
“I was really hoping it was going to be a little microcosm… a time capsule full of civil-defense boxes, radiation detectors, and cots and stuff like that,” John told me in a telephone conversation. Unfortunately, there was no furniture in the bomb bunker.
John also mentioned that he had been reading extensively about the Cold War. He believes that the Cuban Missile Crisis was the primary motivation for Tucson homeowners to build bomb shelters in their backyards in the 1960s.
For Tucson residents who are curious whether they have a bomb shelter in their backyard, John recommends seeking up City of Tucson or Pima County records for information. The information will most likely be included in the building permits.
John also advises everyone not to rush in once they discover a bomb shelter in the yard. “Jumping into holes in the ground is generally not a good idea,” John said, adding that toxic air in a tunnel or cave-in may swiftly incapacitate anyone.
John has full intentions of rebuilding the bomb shelter. But he did not have that much money. He launched a GoFundMe campaign to help rebuild his 1960s bomb shelter. He intended to renovate the doorway and work on the interior as well.
One of John’s first concerns was to replace the stairs so that visitors could enter safely. John was only able to do so with the monies he was able to raise, and he and the remodeling team may now safely enter and exit the building.
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