John Sims moved to Tucson, Arizona, hoping to live a quieter life. He never expected that this would be one of the most unforgettable moments of his life. It all started when the former owner of his new house told him about a disturbing rumor.
Apparently there should be something buried on the property. John couldn’t get it out of his mind, so he started digging in the backyard. What he discovered sent shivers down his spine. He definitely didn’t expect that.
The house with a mysterious backyard
When John Sims heard from a friend who was selling a home in downtown Tucson, Arizona, he was anxious to get the deal. Since the owner was his friend, he knew he would be in good hands. But when the formalities were completed, his friend told him about a rumor about the property.
According to the city’s elders, it was believed that something mysterious was buried somewhere there. His friend had never solved the mystery, but maybe John would. As it turned out, John was going to uncover something and tell all of Arizona about it.
Curiosity got the better of him
As John began moving his things into his new house, he kept thinking about what his friend had said. He was curious and drawn to it. Soon he was determined to find out what secrets were hidden on his new property.
John began exploring his backyard and started digging. He ended up digging four different holes throughout the backyard but found nothing. If he couldn’t find anything under the grass, whatever it was must be under the bricks.
X marks the spot
John obtained city records and found his house’s building permit. It was revealed that a strange structure was built in 1961 by a company called Whitaker Pools. Now that he had proof that something was buried on the property, John was more determined to solve the mystery.
He hired consultants with metal detectors to help him find the exact location. A team arrived with the proper equipment and searched John’s backyard. Soon the metal detectors started beeping. John marked the two locations that triggered the metal detectors with a large chalk X.
To find something
After sending the counselors home, John excitedly grabbed a shovel and began digging. It didn’t take long before his shovel hit something metal. He eventually found something 3 feet beneath the grass. Now that John was making progress, he decided to stop and think.
What if that was a sewage tank? Or what if he damaged or broke a pipe? He had to work carefully. But as he shoveled around with precision, he finally felt like this was something different. He was solving the mystery in his garden.
Open the hatch
John later discovered what looked like the entrance to a hatch. He bent down to clear away the dirt and lifted the metal lid. As a precaution, John made sure he didn’t inhale too much as the chance of mold spores or toxic gas fumes was high.
John left the lid open for about a day to let out any air that came from down there, giving time to let fresh air into the structure. He also knew that the air had to be tested for mold before he could go into the confined space.
It wasn’t safe
The next morning John looked into the hatch. He found a spiral staircase leading down. While most people would have been so excited that they would have gone down immediately, John was not so foolish.
He knew better. As chief of the rural/metro fire department, he had to have someone nearby in case the lid fell off again. At the moment he was home alone and there was no way he could lift the lid from below on his own.
To form a team
With all the training and experience John had rescuing people from confined spaces, he knew all the risks. He could see that the stairs were not stable and there were too many risks if he entered the shaft alone.
So John decided to form a team. He called some friends to help him. They were able to help him continue the excavation and some of them were able to act as spotters to make sure it was safe enough to explore what was in the shaft.
Make a plan
When the group met the next day, they sat down and drew up a blueprint. They also discussed how to proceed. One of the first things they did was repair and reinforce the concrete structure around the stairs.
They placed Sonotube boxes around the entrance to ensure security
ensure that they do not damage anything while working. John and his team worked to lay down layers of concrete and secure the iron in the shaft.
It was hard work
John had to put a tarp over the hatch, not only to protect it, but also the team. The heat in Arizona was starting to become a problem. During their breaks to cool off from the heat, they made guesses about what might be down there.
There was a lot to do to find the answers. A power line had to be installed so they could have proper lighting in the shaft and use power tools if necessary. A black pipe was also installed to direct fresh air into the shaft.
Find an entrance
Finally, their work around the structure was done. But the spiral staircase presented another hurdle. The steps were so rusted that it was impossible to tell whether they could support the weight. They had to find another way in without using the stairs.
The team used a ladder and John had to climb down carefully, careful not to cut himself on the rusty steps. John was over the moon with excitement. He would be the first person to solve the puzzle. This was the moment he had been waiting for.
There was still more work to do
John was able to reach the ground and was pleased to see that they didn’t have to dig any further. But there was still more work to do. The ceilings of the tunnels were covered with fiberglass, which was slowly falling apart. This meant the structure was still not safe.
John cautiously explored the area and couldn’t believe that the structure was mostly in good condition despite nearly half a century of neglect. The structure was empty, but it later became clear what it was – John had a nuclear bunker in his garden!
From the Cold War era
Suddenly everything made sense. The bunker was built during the Cold War, when tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union posed the threat of nuclear war. At that time, Whitaker Pools expanded its business into bunkers.
In fact, there were several properties in the Tucson area that had bunkers. At the time, it was the best thing a responsible family man could do to ensure their loved ones would be protected in the event of a nuclear war.
The Story of Tucson
Turns out there was a lot of history regarding Tucson and bombs. Tucson was once a missile city, as it was home to 18 ballistic missiles capable of traveling across continents and destroying an area of 900 square miles.
The missile silos were kept secret by the government, and when the Cold War was over, almost all missiles were deactivated. Most nuclear shelters were also destroyed or sealed in the early 1980s.
Go viral
When John posted his backyard discovery on Reddit, his story immediately went viral. The post had hundreds of comments in just a few hours. Local newspaper articles and television shows called to get interviews about it.
The story even spread to international publications like the Daily Mail. John’s story had also reached Japan. It was definitely a big discovery. And Tucson residents began to wonder if they, too, had a bunker in their yard.
What’s next?
All the attention allowed John to connect with other people in the area who also have shelters on their land. He could ask them how they cleaned it and get ideas about what he could do with it.
While most people have converted theirs into wine cellars or man caves, John plans to make a Cold War museum. John did a lot of research on the Cold War era and began collecting memorabilia such as Geiger counters, water barrels, HAM radios and medical kits.
His thoughts on his discovery
“I was really hoping it would be a little microcosm… a time capsule full of civil defense crates and radiation meters and cots and stuff,” John shared during an interview. Unfortunately, the bunker didn’t even have any furniture in it.
John also shared that he had been reading a lot about the Cold War. He believes the Cuban Missile Crisis was probably the main reason Tucson residents built nuclear shelters in their backyards in the 1960s.
Advice for Tucson Residents
For Tucson residents curious about whether they, too, have a fallout shelter in their backyard, John suggests searching City of Tucson or Pima County records for information. The information is most likely contained in the building permits.
John gives that to everyone too
Advice not to jump too quickly into a nuclear shelter in the garden. “Jumping into holes in the ground is generally not a good idea,” John continued, emphasizing that toxic air in a tunnel or cave-in can easily incapacitate anyone.
Ask for financial help
John intends to restore the nuclear shelter. But he didn’t have that much money. He set up a GoFundMe to help him restore his 1960s nuclear shelter. He planned to rebuild the entrance and work on the inside as well.
One of John’s top priorities was to replace the stairs so people could walk in safely. With the funds raised, John was just able to do it, and now he and the renovation team can get in and out safely.
