John reached the bottom and was relieved that he no longer had to dig. But there was still work to be done. The roof of the tunnel is covered with fiberglass, which gradually wears away. This meant that the structure was still in danger.
John looked around carefully and couldn’t believe the structure was in such good condition despite nearly half a century of inactivity. The facility was empty, but was later revealed to be a nuclear fallout shelter in John’s backyard!
Suddenly everything became clear. This bunker was built during the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union threatened nuclear war. Whitaker Pools later expanded its operations to include fall shelters.
Several properties in the Tucson area had shelters. At the time, it was all a respected family man could do to ensure the safety of his loved ones during a nuclear war.
There seems to be a lot of history surrounding Tucson and the bomb. Tucson was once called “Missile City” because there were 18 ballistic missiles that crossed the continent and destroyed an area of 900 square kilometers.
The missile stockpiles were kept secret by the government, and by the end of the Cold War almost all of the missiles had been destroyed. In the early 1980s, most nuclear shelters were also demolished or closed.
When John shared his nursery find on Reddit, it quickly went viral. Within hours, the post received hundreds of responses. Local newspapers and TV shows started contacting me for interviews. Overseas media such as the Daily Mail also reported the news. John’s story also reached Japan. It was a great find.
Tucson residents are starting to worry if they have one in their backyard. Thanks to all the interest, John was able to connect with others who own shelters in the area.
He asked them how they would clean it and got suggestions on what to do. While most people turn their basements into cellars or man caves, John plans to turn them into a Cold War museum. After extensive research into the era, John began collecting Cold War-era items such as Geiger detectors, water cans, HAM radios, and sanitary ware. “I was hoping for a small microcosm… Civil defense cabinets, radiation detectors, beds, etc.
“It’s a time capsule full of things.” John said in an interview.
Unfortunately, the bomb bunker had no furniture. John said he read a lot about the Cold War. He believes the Cuban missile crisis was the main reason Tucson homeowners built backyard shelters in the 1960s. If Tucson homeowners are wondering if they have a shelter in their yard, John recommends looking up records for the City of Tucson or Pima County.
This information will probably be in your building permit documents. John also advises everyone that if you find shelter in your garden, don’t run inside. “It’s generally not a wise idea to jump into a hole in the ground,” John added, explaining that the toxic air of a tunnel or cave can quickly incapacitate anyone. John decides to rebuild the bomb shelter. But he lacked the necessary funds.
He set up a GoFundMe account to help restore the 1960s bomb shelter. He planned to restore the door and finish the interior. One of John’s biggest concerns was replacing the stairs so people could access them safely. John was able to do this with just the money he saved, and now he and the repair crew can get in and out safely.
