Atchison Storage Facility

Most people who visit Jackson Park in Atchison, Kansas do not realize that they are standing on top of one of the largest single floor government bunker complexes in the world. The Atchison Storage Facility, commonly known as the "Atchison Caves" lies 50 to 150 feet below the park under the limestone bluffs that overlook the Missouri River. The bunker complex has served the United States for more than 60 years as a storage facility from World War II to the present day.

HISTORY

In 1886, George W. Kerford began to quarry limestone from the large bluffs 2 miles south of downtown Atchison, Kansas. Initially, the company produced rip-rap for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, one of several railroads that traveled through the area. The Kerford Quarry Company's operations at the site resulted in a series of large caverns supported by 20 to 30 foot pillars of unmined rock. The mines in the quarry grew to encompass more than 127 acres of underground space.

WORLD WAR II

During the Second World War, the United States War Food Administration was tasked with collecting and storing reserve farm products to support the war effort. A businessman in Atchison suggested to them that the Kerford Mines would be an ideal facility to store perishables due to the constant temperature and humidity in the caverns. In July of 1944, the Kerford Quarry Company stopped their mining operations and began to lease the facility to the government for the sum of $20,000 each year. .

The government immediately began renovations, spending nearly $2 million to create a refrigerated storage facility where the temperature would be maintained at 32 degrees. The War Food Administration stored perishables including meat, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and eggs in the facility. By 1949, reports indicate that the Atchison Storage Facility held nearly 9,000 tons of eggs, 20,000 tons of prunes, 1,000 tons of raisins and nearly 50 tons of milk.

THE COLD WAR

In the years leading up to World War II, the Army Ordnance Department suffered from a shortage of the specialized production machine tools. These highly specialized tools were necessary to make the increasingly complex weapons used in modern battles. In the drawdown following the war, the Army began to stockpile these tools to be held in reserve status to be used in the event of another national mobilization.

The Atchison Storage Facility, with it's contant temperature, low humidity and protection from the building threat of nuclear weapons,. was chosen to be part of the Ordnance Corps Production Equipment Readiness Program. The tools were held in a state of readiness, to be shipped nationwide to manufacturers in the event of a national emergency.

In 1952, the facility was renamed the United States Storage Facility- Atchison Caves. The Army converted two of the largest mines (more than 60 acres of underground space) into storage areas with the installation of cinderblock walls, concrete floors, electrical lighting, sump pumps, air handling equipment and an extensive dehumidification system. To facilitate moving the large machine tools in and out of the storage facility a truck receiving dock was built near the entrance, a railroad spur and dock were constructed and dock facilities for barges were established on the Missouri River.

In addition, a shop to refurbish and maintain the machine tools was established at the facility. At its peak, a private contractor was responsible for maintaining more than 5,000 machine tools in the reserve facility.

In 1977, the facility was transferred to the Defense Logistics Agency and it was renamed as the Atchison Storage Facility. It was later used to store surplus parachutes (more than 8,500), medical supplies and important defense department documents, plans and computer files.

THE FACILITY TODAY

The Atchison Storage Facility is still a government facility, now operated by the United State Army Reserve's 89th Regional Readiness Command. Recent Defense Department documents list the facilities use as storage and training. They list the size of the facility as 125 acres aboveground and 60 acres belowground. While some hazardous materials have been identified at a former landfill at the site, cleanup is underway and expected to be completed by 2010..