100 million documents stored under security that includes video cameras, biometric scans, infrared monitors and more. WikiLeaks couldn’t even get in here. One of UV&S’s early client


Entrance to the Underground Vaults & Storage Gallery which houses over 100 million documents under tight security.


tor with a chain-saw blade poking out the front, slice slots though the rock at the bottom of a face. Early undercutters bore 66-inch blades, but current models now reach a good eight feet in length. Next come the drillers who bore


deep holes in a pattern across the face. Into these cavities, powdermen load explosives. In the old days, it was dynamite. Now it’s ANFO – a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil. “To give you an example of its


explosive power,” our guide relates, “a homemade version of this con- coction was used to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City.” The blasted rock is hauled up,


crushed, sorted and freighted to buyers. While the salt is 97 percent sodium chloride, impurities make it unsuitable for human consump- tion. Instead, rock salt from the Hutchinson mine is used in livestock feed, hide tanning and, of course, for melting ice on sidewalks and road- ways. Near tour’s end, we get to grab palm-size souvenir chunks. “Spray the rock salt with clear


acrylic,” our guide suggests. “Otherwise, it will end up disinte- grating in the moist air back home.” The Dark Ride ends beside the


museum’s galleries where multime- dia exhibits cover geology, history and the salt mining process. From there, a passage leads into a display


36 EnCompass September/October 2011


sponsored by Underground Vaults & Storage (UV&S), a company catering to those wanting to salt away their valuables. It began during the height of


the Cold War when scientists fig- ured out that storing stuff under 650 feet of earth would pretty much make it bomb proof. UV&S began renting storage space in an abandoned section of the mine. Not only is it nuke-proof, but it’s vermin-free, and unaffected by outside temperature and humidity. Even earthquakes don’t shake the salt down here. The government became the first


to store records in the mine. Private companies soon followed. In all, UV&S currently holds an estimated


If you go


The Kansas Underground Salt Museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays year-round, with exceptions for various holidays. Because elevator space is limited to 28 persons, advance reservations are strongly suggested. Tours run every 40 minutes during the summer and less frequently during the winter. Tickets for the gallery and Dark Ride cost $16.25 for adults. An


optional underground train tour is available for an additional $3.00. Joint tickets that combine the Dark Ride with an all-day pass to the nearby Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Museum run $31.00 for adults. Discount tickets for seniors, military and children are available. Contact the Kansas Underground Salt Museum (866-755-3450, www.undergroundmuseum.org) for reservations or more information.


www.AAA.com


groups was the movie industry. Original prints and negatives of films ranging from silent clas- sics to Star Wars and beyond sit on its cavernous shelves. In their public gallery, UV&S treats us to Hollywood treasures such as George Clooney’s Batman and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze costumes from the Batman and Robin movie as well as examples of the alien-fighting weaponry used by in Men in Black. I exit through the gift shop where


reluctantly, I decline the opportu- nity to buy a T-shirt describing the museum as a place “Where the Sun Really Don’t Shine.” A pleasant walk leads back to the elevator. When the next tour comes down, I’ll return to the surface. In the meantime, I strip off my


sweater and relish my final few minutes of cool, subterranean air. When I pop out topside, I know I’ll be back in Kansas. l


Dan Leeth (www.lookingfortheworld. com) is a freelance writer and photogra- pher based in Aurora.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52