In search of a quieter life, John Sims relocated to Tucson, Arizona. He had no idea that it would become one of his most memorable experiences. All of it started when the person who used to own his new house told him a troubling rumor.
There was a rumor that something was buried on the property. John began digging in the backyard because he could not get it out of his head. He was shaken by what he saw. He had no intention of participating in this.
The House With The Enigmatic Backyard.
John Sims wanted to close the deal when he learned that a friend was selling a house in downtown Tucson, Arizona. He knew he was in good hands because the owner was a friend. However, following the newspaper, a friend informed him of a real estate rumor.
The Elders of the village believe that something enigmatic was buried there. John might have an answer, but his friend never did. John, as it turns out, reveals something, prompting everyone in Arizona to speak.
John was reflecting on what his friend had said as he began to move his belongings into the new house. He was excited and curious. He quickly made the decision to find out what secrets his new property hid.
John started to investigate and dive in his yard. John digging four distinct holes in the backyard, but he did not discover anything. Whatever it is, it must be beneath the bricks if he didn’t find anything under the grass.
The Location is Marked by an X.
John obtained municipal records and discovered a note regarding his house’s construction. It was discovered that a strange structure was constructed in 1961 by Whitaker Pools. John was more determined to solve the mystery now that he had evidence that there had been a burial on the property.
To assist him in locating the exact location, he hired consultants who carried metal detectors. John backyard was scoured by the team when they arrived, which was equipped appropriately. The metal detectors started working shortly after. Using a large X-shaped chalk marker, John marked the two metal detector trigger points.
Hitting Something
John got excited and grabbed a shovel and started digging after the consultants were sent home. His shovel struck the metal shortly thereafter. He finally discovered something three feet beneath the grass. He made the decision to pause and consider John’s progress at this point.
Assume it’s a septic tank. Or what if he breaks the pipe or causes damage to it? He needed to work carefully. He did, however, realize that it was not what he expected. His backyard provided an answer to a mystery.
Making The Hatch Open
John showed the hatch’s entrance later. He opened the metal lid as he sat down to clean up the mess. John took care not to breathe in too much air because there was a high risk of mold or harmful gas fumes.
John left the lid open for a day or two to let out the air and let in fresh air. He also knew how to check for mold in the air before entering a tight space.
It Was Unsafe.
John looked through the hatch the next morning. He discovered a downward spiral staircase. John wasn’t so stupid that most people would go downstairs because they were so excited.
He was right. He needed someone nearby in case the deck gave way because he was captain of a rural/metro fire department. He was alone at home at the moment, and he was powerless to lift the cover from the bottom.
Assembling a Team
John was aware of all the dangers thanks to his training and experience rescuing people trapped in tight spaces. He realized that the stairs were unstable and that going down the shaft alone would present too many dangers.
John therefore chose to form a team. He sought assistance from his friends. They could assist him in continuing to dig, and some of them could watch to see if it was safe to investigate the shaft’s contents.
Creating a Strategy
The following day, when the group got together, they sat down and made a plan. They likewise examined how to continue. Repairing and strengthening the concrete structure surrounding the stairs was one of the first tasks.
To ensure that they did not cause any damage while they were working, they wrapped Sonotube cardboard around the entrance. John and his team worked to attach the rebar and install the concrete layers inside the hatch.
It Was a Difficult To Work
To Guard not only the hatch but also the crew, John had to cover it with canvas. The heat in Arizona was beginning to be a problem. After cooling off from the heat during breaks, they speculated about what might be below.
Finding the answers took a lot of work. They needed to put in the power line so they could use power tools and have adequate lighting inside the shaft. Fresh air was also pumped into the shaft through a black pipe.
Finding Entry
Their remodeling work was completed later. However, another obstacle was the spiral staircase. I couldn’t tell if the stairs could support any weight because they were so rusty. They had to find a different entrance that didn’t have stairs.
John had to carefully descend from the group’s ladder to avoid damaging the rusty steps. John was exuberant. He had to find the solution to the puzzle first. He had been waiting for this moment.
More Work Needed To Be Done.
When John reached the bottom, he was pleased to discover that they no longer needed to dig. However, more work needed to be done. Fiberglass was used to cover the roofs of the tunnels, but it slowly fell off. This indicated that the structure remained unsafe.
John couldn’t believe that, despite nearly 50 years of neglect, the building was mostly in good shape. He carefully looked around. I later discovered what the empty structure was: John had a bomb shelter in his backyard!
At The Beginning With The Cold War
Everything suddenly made sense. During the Cold War, when tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union threatened nuclear war, the shelter was constructed. It turns out that at this time, Whitaker Pools started selling bomb shelters.
In fact, there were nuclear shelters on a number of Tucson properties. In the event of a nuclear war, it was the best a responsible family member could do at the time to ensure their loved ones’ safety.
Tucson’s History
It turns out that Tucson and bombs have a long history together. Tucson was once a city with 18 ballistic missiles that could destroy an area of 900 square kilometers and fly across continents.
The missile depots were kept secret by the government, and by the end of the Cold War, almost all of the missiles had been retired. In the early 1980s, the majority of the nuclear shelters were also demolished or closed.
It Went Viral
John’s story quickly went viral after he shared it on Reddit about the find in his backyard. Within a few hours, the post had hundreds of comments. Interviews on this subject began to appear in local newspapers and television programs.
Even international publications like the Daily Mail picked up on the story. The story of John also got to Japan. It was undoubtedly an excellent find. And Tucsonans began to wonder if it was also in their backyard.
What Comes Next?
John was able to connect with others in the area who also have fall shelters in their country thanks to all the attention. He could inquire about how they cleaned it and get creative with it.
John intends to construct a Cold War museum, whereas the majority of people have converted them into wine cellars or man caves. John conducted extensive research regarding the Cold War and began collecting memorabilia, including water tanks, HAM radios, sanitary kits, and Geiger counters.
His Views on His Discovery
John stated in an interview, “I really hoped it was going to be a little microcosm. a time capsule full of civil-defense boxes, radiation detectors, cots, and things like that.” Sadly, there was no furniture in the bomb shelter at all.
Additionally, John stated that he read a lot about the Cold War. He believes that Tucson residents constructed bomb shelters in their backyards in the 1960s as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Advice for Residents of Tucson
John suggests looking through the records of the City of Tucson or Pima County for Tucson residents who want to know if there is a bomb shelter in their backyard. The information is most likely contained in the building permits.
After finding a bomb shelter, John also warns everyone not to jump out too quickly. “Jumping into holes in the ground is usually not a good idea,” John continued, noting that the toxic air in a tunnel or cave can easily render someone unconscious.
Soliciting Financial Assistance
John will definitely return the bomb shelter. However, he did not have that much money. He started a GoFundMe page to get help restoring his bomb shelter from the 1960s. He intended to redesign the interior as well as the entrance.
Reconstructing the stairs so that people could enter safely was one of John’s primary objectives. With the money he raised, John was able to accomplish exactly that, and both he and the workers on the renovation now have safe access.
