John Sims just wanted to find a house so he could live a simple and peaceful life. He purchased a home in Tucson, Arizona and it seemed like the perfect place. After hearing many exciting rumours about surprising secrets buried in his backyard, John had to find out for himself what all the fuss was about.
1. Moving into the house
John was looking for a new home and a friend of his was selling. He decided to purchase that home since he knew the house would be well taken care of. The seller told John about the rumours surrounding the mysterious backyard.
2. Hint, hint
The neighbour didn’t do anything about his mysterious backyard for years but when John moved in, he wanted to find out what the creepy secrets were all about.
3. Curiosity
John wasn’t sure whether he would find anything or if this rumour was just a rumour. He wanted to know if there was something worth digging for. He needed to concoct a plan and get the adequate tools for his mission.
4. So it begins
John made a plan. It took a while to get things started but he was extremely excited to get things going and discover what was buried deep in his backyard. However, digging meant he would ruin his backyard but John didn’t mind at all.
5. Hot weather
Arizona is an incredibly hot place to live. The weather in the summer can easily go over 100 degrees F. John spent many hours digging in his backyard with a single shovel. The more he dug, the more he thought his friend had led him on but he wasn’t ready to quit just yet. Maybe a shovel was not big enough to uncover this big secret.
6. Digging in the backyard
John turned his backyard into a huge mess and made 4 big holes but found nothing. John wanted to keep digging to be 100% sure there was nothing for him to find. He decided he needed a better plan and then he got a brilliant idea.
7. Finding documents
John found the municipal records of the area in which his Tucson property was located. John found a clue that could help him: A company named Whitaker Pools had built something back in 1961. However, John didn’t understand why this company would build something underground.
8. Bringing in the tools
After finding out about the municipal documents, John became more and more serious about his mission. He hired consultants to investigate the backyard with metal detectors. Unfortunately, the first attempt didn’t amount to anything. When everyone was about to give up, one of the metal detectors went off.
9. Marked the backyard
The metal detectors went off in two different spots. John was excited since this meant he had a more precise location as to where this mystery thing might be located. Finally, he now knew this mystery was not a rumour. He started digging again and his shovel hit something rock solid.
10. Jackpot
It was definitely something made out of metal. John thought this mystery object might just be a septic tank so he wasn’t sure whether it was a good idea to continue digging. He was careful and continued digging.
11. Here it comes
John discovered that the metal thing he had hit was a lid. John opened the lid and discovered some sort of staircase and a secret entrance. Where did it lead to? John was careful not to inhale the air since it could be filled with toxic gas fumes.
12. A strange spiral
John discovered the metal steps were a staircase that led to a buried secret. Instead of rushing down the stairs, John was smart and planned his next move.
13. Staying safe
Since John was a fire department captain, he knew it was too dangerous for him to go down without taking some precautions first.
14. Getting help
John called his friends so they could be there with him if ever something bad happened.
15. Making a plan
John knew that safety was his number 1 priority. He didn’t know what was behind the entrance so he and his friends made a plan.
16. Beginning the process
They first repaired the entire entrance and reinforced it with concrete. They had to work in the intense Arizona heat.
17. Setting up the electric line
They also installed an electric line so they could see clearly what was under John’s home. They also installed a pipe to funnel in fresh air.
18. Slowly progressing
After all the work they put in, the entrance looked much better. They finally decided the entrance was safe enough to go inside.
19. Dangerous stairs
Unfortunately, there was another obstacle. The spiral staircase was not safe enough. They could easily cut themselves on the sharp metal. Since the stairs couldn’t be fixed from the outside, someone had to go inside the entrance to fix it.
20. Entering the tunnel
John used a ladder to descend into the hole. He was so excited to finally know what was hiding in his backyard!
21. Time to explore
John found a whole complex of underground space. The concrete structure was in great condition considering how old it was.
22. Discovering the truth
Even though the structure was over 50 years old, it was in great condition. The structure was actually a nuclear fallout shelter built during the Cold War. It was built to protect the family who lived in the house in case of a nuclear attack.
23. Finding a purpose
John decided to turn his Cold War era bomb shelter into a collection of Cold War relics. He started a Go Fund Me campaign to restore the shelter.
24. Finished the staircase
John used the funds he collected from the Go Fund Me campaign to fix the staircase of the structure and made sure the overall structure was more sturdy. People appreciated what he was doing to remember this part of US history so they kept giving him money for him to make more renovations.
Source: Coolimba
