Travelling 650 Feet Underground

We made a pit stop in Buhler, Kansas on our way to a wedding in Colorado. I am thankful we did, for we were able to tour a salt mine 650 feet underground.

Strataca has a working salt mine where they retrieve road salt for the Chicago metropolis. The section that they mined in the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s is now a museum for the public to enjoy.

We traveled down in an elevator that is a custom made double decker and capable of transporting 30 people at a time. We packed in like sardines and descended in the dark.

In total, Strataca has cut into 150 miles of rock in their mines. The ceilings are about 10 feet high so even I didn’t have a problem bumping my head.

If you think that is a cardboard cutout of Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs, you are quite right. Mike stopped by in 2006 to work in the salt mines for an episode.

This is just one of the many special pieces of equipment that you see in the mine. Does it look similar to coal mining equipment? Well, that is because most of the machinery is the same as the coal industry.

One item I was not expecting, is the amount of storage from the world above you find in the mine.

There are many items that Hollywood keeps in the naturally preserved atmosphere of a salt mine. We found costumes, weapons, data reels, and even the barrel from Twister perfectly preserved.

Coupled with the natural preservation the salt mine provides, it also serves as a great space for data storage. You can image how much space there is in 150 miles to store some boxes.

There is actually a separate company from the mining corporation who operates as a data storage facility.

One of my favorite articles from ages past, is an actual article from 1865. This New York Herald paper is from the day after President Lincoln was assassinated. For years, it was stored above ground in climate controlled rooms. When the storage company acquired the paper, they decided to move it 650 feet underground away from potential bombs and weather for people to enjoy for decades.

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