The Talk Of The Town
Many of us have undertaken a DIY project or two over the years. It could be something simple such as repainting a room all the way up to renovating an entire house. However, there was one project that was about to get the whole neighborhood talking as no one could work out what was going on. That was all thanks to Bruce Beach. He might look like an average neighbor, but Bruce was about to start an incredible collection like no other.
The Talk Of The Town
The Start Of It All
Bruce is 83 years old and lives with his 90-year-old wife, Jean. The pair share two children and many grandchildren, but nothing was going to stop Bruce from creating his ultimate dream. All he needed to do was get his supplies in order. The first thing on the list? Buses – and plenty of them. It turned out that Bruce was about to collect more school buses than many of us could ever imagine, and they all had a particular purpose in his plan.
The Start Of It All
Making The Move
Although the couple initially lived in Winfield, Kansas, they eventually moved to Jean’s hometown in Horning Mills, a small village in Canada, during 1970. Bruce knew that he needed plenty of space and a host of tranquility if he ever hoped to bring his project to life. He continued to work all hours under the sun until Bruce had finally tracked down as many buses as he could to get the ball rolling. This was merely the start of it all.
Making The Move
Completing His Collection
The first bus pulled up at the couple’s new house in 1980. Over the next few years, Bruce continued to buy as many vehicles as he could find. However, he needed plenty of money as each bus cost Bruce around $300 each. Thankfully, he eventually had 42 vehicles. This was the perfect number to start his project. So what was it that made these buses so popular to Bruce? They had a pretty unique aspect: their reinforced steel roofs.
Completing His Collection
Gaining Attention
Although looking at all of the buses was pretty impressive, Bruce had a new home for his vehicles where they would never be seen again. Bruce continued to work all the hours he could to dismantle the buses and link them together. This way he could turn them into a giant structure before they were eventually lowered into the ground. Although Bruce and Jean’s farm was isolated from the local area, the neighbors still couldn’t help but notice the giant hole they had dug over 12.2 acres of land.
Gaining Attention
Enlisting Professional Help
Thankfully, Bruce didn’t have to undertake the task on his own. In fact, he eventually managed to track down the same person who had built the subway system running throughout Toronto. It looked as though he had all the skills needed for digging deep into the ground. At last, Bruce had everyone he needed to bring his dream to life. However, that still didn’t explain the hole to others. Bruce preferred to keep his plans to himself as he knew precisely what he was doing.
Enlisting Professional Help
Keeping Things Secure
The 14-foot hole was dug, and the buses were lowered into the ground. Now, the only thing left to do was to cover up their tracks and fill in the hole with the vehicles. All of that earth still wasn’t enough to keep Bruce happy. No, he needed extra security to keep his secret safe. It wasn’t long before the entire structure was covered in two feet of concrete. The arrangement covered 10,000 square feet, and the final construction had been completed.
Keeping Things Secure
Plenty To Do
Although the outside of the structure had finally been completed, it looked as though Bruce still had plenty of work to do on the inside of the buses. Unfortunately, his project was so large that there was no way Bruce could do it all on his own. That’s where 50 budding volunteers stepped in. They soon dedicated every weekend to designing the final layout of the buses as they wanted it to have everything Bruce needed to make his dreams become a reality.
Plenty To Do
A Particular Guest List
It’s taken over 30 years of hard work, but Bruce can finally stand back and look at his creation; Ark Two is officially open for business – kind of. Although Bruce has dedicated a considerable portion of his life to breathing life into Ark Two, it seems as though not just anyone will get the chance to take a look inside. In fact, only a few lucky ones have been granted access over the years to a structure that has grown to become one of the most impressive in North America.
A Particular Guest List
Keeping Things Powered
That’s not all. It appears as though Bruce’s underground creation is so large that it needs an above ground power generator to bring it to life. The engine is run by diesel, and Bruce has collected enough gas so that it can run for three months before it needs to be replenished. Plus, he also has several fuel supplies throughout his land to ensure there is always plenty in stock. It’s only once the generator is running that Bruce can show off his creation in all of its glory.
Keeping Things Powered
Offering A Skill
Although Bruce’s project caused quite the commotion in the surrounding area, it seems as though he wants to keep invites to the inside to a minimum. Visitors must offer Bruce a skill or something he can use in the long run if they’re going to make their way into the depths of his project. Some journalists have even been seen cutting firewood as an offering. Thankfully, it looked as though this was enough to grant them access to his underground labyrinth.
Offering A Skill
Keeping Out Illnesses
It turns out that sick people aren’t allowed to enter the project either. Bruce is careful to ensure that no infectious diseases ever make their way into his underground fortress. In fact, everyone must undergo extensive screening in case they appear to be physically healthy but are really hiding a mysterious illness. Bruce wants to keep the inside as sterile as possible just in case he ever has to use his creation for its intended purpose. There are no taking chances here.
Keeping Out Illnesses
Several Ways Inside
As if that wasn’t enough, Bruce has even built seven separate entrances to his project. Every single one comes complete with decontaminating showers that will eventually have to be used before entering. Then, people must pass through a decontamination chamber before they are finally safe enough to join the project. It looks as though there is a good reason that Bruce wants to make sure the underground creation remain entirely germ-free, but what is it all in aid of?
Several Ways Inside
Contacting The World
Thankfully, once everyone is inside the chamber, they can still contact the outside world. Bruce has fitted several security monitors made up of various old Commodore 64 computers. He says that a significant challenge has been keeping up with the ever-changing technology, but these seem to do the job. Plus, there is a working landline connected to a rotary phone and equipment that can transmit both AM and FM signals across all of Canada and America meaning there is plenty of reach.
Contacting The World
Defending His Plans
The chamber appears to go on and on as Bruce has built enough room to accommodate up to 350 people. It looks as though Bruce hopes he won’t be alone in his project. However, many locals have called the project creator several names over the years as many believe that he has lost his mind. Thankfully, Bruce doesn’t appear to mind as he wants to soldier on with his cause. He thinks the project is for the greater good and that others should be more open-minded.
Defending His Plans
Plenty To Drink
So what about if you’re granted a ticket to Bruce’s underground project? How will anyone have enough to eat and drink? It looks as though Bruce has got you covered. He has installed a 5,000-gallon water tank to ensure there is a constant supply of fresh water. However, there are still some issues. Bruce confesses that someone needs to climb into the well to dig out any sediment as it’s currently affecting their natural water supply.
Plenty To Drink
Keeping People Happy
Bruce also has not one but two kitchens. Here, there is a working oven to cook up any meals that need to be created and a large soup tureen to make sure there is always plenty on offer for anyone in the underground lair. To top it off, Bruce has even enlisted the help of a friend who knows how to cook as he wants to make sure there are always plenty of freshly baked biscuits for everyone at all times. There seems to be all aspects of survival covered.
Keeping People Happy
Going To Waste
Unfortunately, keeping the pantries fully stocked means that Bruce has had to throw away a lot of food over the years. He has no idea how much has gone to waste but thinks there have been several tons. Bruce just wants to make sure the kitchens are always full and ready to go whenever they are needed. There is one thing that has stayed: a jar of pickles from 1987. It appears as though this place really is one that is built to last.
Going To Waste
Keeping Fresh
It looks as though Bruce has every aspect of luxury living covered in his project. Some of the buses have been converted to washrooms that are fitted with full plumbing meaning showers and toilets are available for anyone to use inside the construction. All of the added extras can almost make it tough to remember anyone is standing in a structure of buses. It almost looks like a building that would be found on another planet – not buried underground.
Keeping Fresh
Living Through It All
So what was it that made Bruce build his creation? It turns out that the man behind the project once lived through one of the most prominent times in American history: the cold war. Bruce admits that he was once involved in a fight at school with a fellow student, John Dunn. Although Bruce agreed to the fight, he didn’t want this to be the rest of his life. Instead, he declared himself as the winner and promised never to fight again.
Living Through It All
Preparing For The Worst
Bruce has been true to his word as he has never fought anyone ever again. Instead, he has turned his focus solely on surviving. Bruce eventually moved to Chicago where he found worked as an electrical engineer and contractor. Unfortunately, former President John F. Kennedy announced people should begin to build bomb shelters in their yards and stock up on canned food. It looked as though the threat of war was closer than anyone had ever imagined.
Preparing For The Worst
Searching For Safety
Like many other people across the nation, Bruce and his family began to panic that a nuclear fallout was looming on the horizon. Bruce felt as though preparing for the fall out was too dangerous. What were they to do? Thankfully, they had a plan. Bruce soon moved across the border to Canada where he could start work on his ultimate survival shelter. It looked as though nothing else would be enough to protect him from the conflict of war.
Searching For Safety
Helping The Many
It wasn’t until Bruce reached the farm that he found the perfect space to create a shelter. However, he believes that many people looking to create a safe place in case of war are selfish. Why? Bruce states they often only build projects big enough to accommodate themselves and their family, not anyone else that might need somewhere safe to stay. Bruce wanted to change this. That’s why he started plans on a structure large enough for as many people as possible.
Helping The Many
Ready For Anything
Bruce is one of the many people part of a group known as preppers. These individuals want to make sure that they are ready for any emergency that comes their way. From an apocalypse to nuclear fallout and a zombie takeover to political fallouts, it seems as though nothing is too much for this group. After all, you never know what might come your way, right? Many of us want to be prepared for anything, but their skills don’t end there.
Ready For Anything
Banding Together
It turns out the few preppers there are in the world often band together to support one another. It looks as though there really can be strength in numbers. Plus, they all have a unique set of skills that are ready to teach everyone else. Some involve how to survive out in the wild while others show us how to survive a zombie apocalypse. Anything can go at these meetings. It was here that Bruce was finally able to meet people with the same mindset about the world.
Banding Together
Not Without Problems
Creating the bunker hasn’t been without its issues. Bruce and Jean keep a supply of wheat out the back of their house, but the rats soon discovered the stock and ate their way through the lot. This was enough to encourage them into the house. To top it off, the couple have also had to battle a small fire along with a flood as well as deal with the aftermath of someone stealing their chainsaws. A lot has come their way, but nothing will keep Bruce down.
Not Without Problems
Tearing It Down
That’s not all. Many people have tried to put obstacles in Bruce’s way over the years. Many are opposed to the creation, including the local government. They believed the structure is dangerous, but Bruce wants to try and get everyone to see that the bunker is for everyone and not just to benefit himself. That’s not enough. The local government wants it to be destroyed. Although Bruce tried to get permits for the build, it turns out they were never granted.
Tearing It Down
Trying Their Hardest
Believe it or not, but Bruce has been taken to court more than 30 times over the years as the local government has spent over a whopping $250,000 trying to get the project destroyed. All the commotion has earned Bruce plenty of enemies. In fact, some neighbors now refuse to talk to the creator of the project while many others believe that Bruce is strange and should be left alone. Thankfully, Bruce doesn’t seem to let anything affect him.
Trying Their Hardest
Third Time Around
Even the local fire brigade have stepped in to share their feelings on the matter. However, they are a lot more forward with their actions as they have physically sealed the entrance not once but twice. Bruce has then been forced to cut his way back into the shelter. It looked as though the fire brigade were going to try a third time in 2015 after a group of Canadian survivalists arrived for an event. They weren’t third time lucky with their plan to shut down Ark Two.
Third Time Around
Growing Tired
Bruce’s children are now both grown up and have youngsters of their own. However, it appears as though they have both had enough of listening to their father’s stories about the impending doom on the way to end the planet. As if that wasn’t enough, Jean admits that she often grows tired of listening to Bruce’s warnings. However, she says that it’s his love of taking care of her that brought them together in the first place. This is the ultimate protection.
Growing Tired
Open To Anyone
Although the shelter is found in Canada, it seems as though Bruce wants to make sure that everyone is included in his creation. However, there is a catch: there are separate sleeping arrangements. As well as hoping to avoid any unexpected relationships, Bruce has confessed that splitting families up overnight means there is more room for everyone. Otherwise, families could take up an entire bedroom on their own and wouldn’t leave space for anyone else. It’s all about making the most of the room.
Open To Anyone
The Next Generation
There is also an entirely separate room for children with enough space to sleep up to 96 youngsters in two shifts. The best bit? Bruce admits that he would prefer to house children as he says they are the future generation and must be protected if there is a fallout around the world. After all, the youngsters could soon be the only ones left many years into the future. Without the children, the world may never continue to grow following the aftermath.
The Next Generation
Everything They Need
It appears as though Bruce wants to make sure that any children in the shelter have the space and everything they need to grow and learn. As well as collecting many toys to keep them amused, Bruce has also supplied chess sets to help expand their minds. The bunker even comes complete with a nursery for the younger ones and a classroom for the older children. Just because they are underground in a disaster doesn’t mean they should miss an education in Bruce’s eyes.
Everything They Need
Home Comforts
The bunker is not only filled with everything most of us would need to survive, but it also contains some home luxuries that might soon be forgotten in a disaster. There are buckets filled with toilet paper that can be used for bartering with one another. There are also many other accessories throughout the various compartments that Bruce has spent the last 30 years collecting to ensure that no one misses out on the items they are so used to using in their homes.
Home Comforts
A Reminder Of It All
The entrance to the bunker is a bleak reminder of why the shelter has been built in the first place. The room comes fitted with holes the perfect size for any weapons to be used on anyone on the outside. Here, Bruce hopes the team of survivors will come together to protect anyone that is seeking shelter in the bunker. That’s not all. There are also several storage areas throughout the structure that can be used to store any weapons and their ammunition.
A Reminder Of It All
Plenty To Keep Entertained
Life in the underground Ark Two isn’t all about fighting and learning how to survive; it also comes fitted with a day room for anyone that needs some time to rest and unwind. Plus, Bruce has been careful to build a chapel so anyone can continue to practice their religious beliefs. Fancy some exercise? Bruce has you covered. The project designer has rigged up an old exercise bike for anyone with extra energy that even grinds wheat when it’s ridden.
Plenty To Keep Entertained
Covering Medical Emergencies
Of course, being in a bunker still means that some people might need medical or dental treatment along the way. Thankfully, it looks as though Bruce has thought of just about everything anyone could need. He has managed to track down an old dentist chair and has built a mortuary for anyone that passes away during their time in the bunker. As his collection of items continued to grow, it seems as if we could soon have all of our needs catered for in this underground shelter.
Covering Medical Emergencies
Sticking To The Rules
Bruce has a long set of rules for anyone that wants to enter his bunker meaning only a few will ever be granted access. It appears as though the 50 volunteers who regularly arrive to help finish Ark Two have all earned themselves a place on the list. However, anyone not willing to play game won’t be stepping through the door. If anyone tries to break the rules, Bruce has built a brig to keep them away from everyone else in the shelter.
Sticking To The Rules
A Change Of Use
It looks as though no one knows if the shelter will ever be needed, but Bruce wants to have everything in place just in case there is ever an emergency. However, the creator also feels as though there are a number of other uses, such as turning it into an underground orphanage. Bruce believes the bunker has everything the children would need to be looked after and stay healthy, but it might need a few repairs before it could be transformed into an orphanage.
A Change Of Use
Weeks Of Supplies
Thankfully, it turns out that Bruce doesn’t want any money for a spot in his bunker. He just wants to make sure that everyone is willing to help maintain the structure during their stay. Now, Bruce has enough supplies and space to keep all 350 people fed and watered for up to three weeks. However, he hopes that his bunker will be used as a place to stop and rest before moving on rather than somewhere to start a bustling community under the ground.
Weeks Of Supplies