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.

X marks the spot.

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.

Hitting something.

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.

Open the hatch.

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.

It was not safe.

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.

Forming a team

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.

Finding a way in

At last, their work around the structure was done. But the spiral staircase posed another hurdle. The steps were so rusty that there was no telling if it could sustain any weight. They had to find another way inside without using the stairs.

There was more work to be done.

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.

Dating back to the Cold War

Suddenly, it all made sense. The shelter was built during the Cold War when tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union had the threat of an all-out nuclear war. Whitaker Pools turned out to expand their business to bomb shelters at the time.

In fact, there were several properties in the Tucson area that had bomb shelters. Back then, it was the best thing a responsible family man would do to make sure that their loved ones would be safe in case a nuclear war happened.

Going viral

When John posted about 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 TV shows started calling 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 find. And Tucson residents started to wonder if they had one in their yard too.