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fireaunts t1_j4qnu9l wrote

ive been in it a couple times. i know people who work down there. all 1,100 acres (and growing) are owned by the Hunt family. they also own Kansas City's NFL team

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Desertswisher t1_j4qo0wh wrote

What do they do down there for work?

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Gemmabeta t1_j4qp3bn wrote

A lot of it is archival storage. The constant cool temperature and low humidity means it's perfect for storing a lot of paper for cheap.

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Cetun t1_j4s4ai4 wrote

Just curious, won't all the people in there introduce moisture into the air? Does it just get absorbed by the walls or is there still air conditioning?

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Kumquats_indeed t1_j4squ55 wrote

I imagine the storage areas are compartmentalized and have high quality climate control so they only are occasionally exposed to people when they go into a specific room. This place sounds like something in the UK in this Tom Scott video

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weaselmaster t1_j4t3u90 wrote

It’s only 1.5 people per acre…

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dameon5 t1_j4v1wyu wrote

But if you squeeze them hard enough, there is still a lot of moisture they could introduce...

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Parlorshark t1_j4v41nx wrote

Like in an industrial juicer?

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dameon5 t1_j4v4goo wrote

Sort of, but less contained if you really want those juices flowing.

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fireaunts t1_j4qp1za wrote

they work in the office at a packaging supply company. the company sells cardboard and tape to other companies. boring tbh...but there used to be a massive orchid collection down there with thousands of rare orchids grown in artificial light. the precise temps down there made it ideal for orchids. but the flowers were killed by smoke from a fire lit near a ventilation shaft up on the surface. luckily i dont think anyone was hurt

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Setter_sws t1_j4rwogq wrote

We have one in Springfield that is used for cheese.

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TheTimDavis t1_j4sh386 wrote

When I worked for Kansas City Repertory theatre this is where all the costumes and props were stored. It's the only time I saw old theatre costumes that didn't stink.

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SirMikan t1_j4rwszb wrote

Biggest cheese cave in the US at least. Kraft is a massive tenant there.

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CassandraVindicated t1_j4u9gf8 wrote

I was going to say, I want the cheese they store there. I believe the US government also keeps cheese there.

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CorgiMonsoon t1_j4tfnn0 wrote

It’s been a while since I’ve worked there, so they may have moved, but the Kansas City Repertory Theatre and UMKC Theatre Department used to have prop storage there.

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OsamaBinNoodles t1_j4tz5y6 wrote

It’s one of the places the govt uses for storing official documents such as immigration documents. I’ve been down there a couple times, we just call it the caves.

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noglorynoguts t1_j4sbmob wrote

I used to work for the composting department of JCCC and had to drive down there regularly to get wood shavings from a milling company. It is massive

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TwoShedsJackson1 t1_j4ugd7p wrote

This is really interesting.What about water, toilets and sewage, food and organic waste?

There must be an air circulation system too because monoxide could build up in corners and that is deadly.

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Jacob2040 t1_j4qrfbd wrote

There's also a paintball field down there too

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Imissyourgirlfriend2 t1_j4r3e5m wrote

I'd have put Aperture Science down there.

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BigXris t1_j4rcvn1 wrote

We do what we must because we can.

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wildfire2501 t1_j4reyko wrote

Anyway this cake is nice, it's so delicious and moist

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BigXris t1_j4rf4z4 wrote

How would you know… you’re a machine…

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wildfire2501 t1_j4rfpla wrote

Well there's no sense crying while there's sience to do

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BigXris t1_j4rfwx8 wrote

You just keep on trying til you run out of cake. I named the last server at my last job “Glados” and when it stroked out the error message said, “the cake is a lie”

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The206Uber t1_j4sp1ry wrote

I'm a trucker. I regularly pick up loads at caves in Carthage MO and Springfield MO. I'm required to drive my entire truck into the cave, navigate among massive pillars, and hit my dock among dozens of other trucks. It's usually cheese I pick up from caves but sometimes other dairy products. They're essentially giant cold storage vaults. It's pretty cool (pun somewhat intended).

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paulyweird t1_j4ssvq1 wrote

This sounds like a great place for a tesla truck.

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The206Uber t1_j4sts18 wrote

We have to shut everything down: tractor, reefer, and APU. The part of the caves we use are open to the outside and therefore ventilated but yeah...20 trucks idling in there would get unbreathable pretty quickly. An electric truck would be better, at least until it's time to haul that 40k# load 1500 miles to the receiver.

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ForbiddenJello t1_j4vrrpw wrote

Interesting! I didn't know trucks had APU's

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The206Uber t1_j4yb69g wrote

Some do, anyway. It saves wear and tear on the big diesel and pollutes less. IMHO pretty sensible addition to a truck.

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byrp t1_j4qstlt wrote

Wow, basically 1 acre per employee.

You could really let your fast food wrappers pile up outside your cubicle.

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[deleted] t1_j4qtkdl wrote

Largest unclassified underground business complex.

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BattdPlayer t1_j4w4mnf wrote

Once the public finds out what has really happened, their minds will be truly blown. It is never a good idea to have all of your eggs in one basket.

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RadBadTad t1_j4qsikd wrote

Man, I thought the offices in the basement of my 4 story office building were bleak, but working in a MINE seems.... soul deadening.

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AnthillOmbudsman t1_j4r7yrz wrote

Interestingly some of this is visible on Google Street View. It's not clear to me how whoever took the pictures is getting GPS coordinates, there'd be no way to locate yourself underground.

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chaossabre t1_j4rvnu0 wrote

Inertial measurement would be adequate for some distance assuming a good GPS fix was achieved before entering.

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nutellatime t1_j4r3fj4 wrote

I used to work in a similar complex in KC (which is just littered with caves and old mining tunnels). The air quality was always terrible underground because of the vehicle exhaust but it was kind of fun to tell people you work in a cave.

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BattdPlayer t1_j4w4xqt wrote

That industry should really switch over to electric for the air quality alone.

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[deleted] t1_j4s1qgn wrote

I had to drive a truck through there daily it’s a fucking nightmare

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metalflygon08 t1_j4rml1p wrote

We have a similar thing where I live in IL!

They have cold storage and the National Archives stuck in old mines.

Little Ceasers stores their stuff there too.

I guess it's easier to operate giant freezers when the surrounding area is always the same temp year round.

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BigXris t1_j4rct9x wrote

Great… raccoon city all over again…

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Five-and-Dimer t1_j4rn0yy wrote

JFK’s autopsy bits are in a cave in Lenexa Kansas

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HammerDownRein t1_j4st43t wrote

The Meritex caves?

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Five-and-Dimer t1_j4sudxs wrote

His autopsy stuff and God knows what else are in the National Archives, which is in an abandoned limestone mine at 97th and Ridgeview. This area around KC has lots of old limestone mines.

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HammerDownRein t1_j4sull4 wrote

Yep, that’s the Meritex caves. Lenexa does a 4th of July night bike ride from Old Town down into the caves and back. Supposed to be really cool.

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Five-and-Dimer t1_j4t9ip7 wrote

I grew up in Lenexa in the 60s and 70s. Mostly farms and open spaces.

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mexican2554 t1_j4s2iof wrote

The mole ppl have entered the corporate world.

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PerfectXanadu t1_j4s40pa wrote

I've had to go there a lot for work. It's pretty neat, but also a little spooky. Smells weird.

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xiphoidthorax t1_j4rqbex wrote

Didn’t Jessie Ventura make a conspiracy video about this place?

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Lexam t1_j4sn5xh wrote

And it's not the only one. My field office is in a cave near those.

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jonsticles t1_j4t2zvc wrote

I always thought they would make good apartments for night shift workers.

Keeps out the daylight and would have good noise reduction.

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HoeInABox t1_j4tvucu wrote

I used to work at a company in this complex. As soon as you drive in your radio and cell signal cuts out, so you’re effectively cut out from the outside until you leave unless you’re connected to a company WiFi. You also easily lost track of time as it was always the same color and brightness under ground. I went to work during the afternoon and left at night. It was always fun to see the midday sun and then the moon when leaving.

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MagicHDx t1_j4rw0wk wrote

Rode my moped through here with like 75 others, yea it was very loud and smokey in there afterwards

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ButterPotatoHead t1_j4s88p7 wrote

The TV show "Off the Cuff" did an episode about this and a few other weird places in the US.

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darthy_parker t1_j4std6i wrote

And Paris filled their underground stone quarry with exhumed skeletons… Who did it better?

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mr_rx t1_j4sxqx7 wrote

I talked with a guy from KC at a campground a couple years ago. He said he kept his camper in a giant underground cavern. Does this place have RV storage too or is there more places like this around KC?

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specious_foofaraw t1_j4sz73r wrote

I picked up some parts to repair my mom's oven from a business in there.

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SpicelessKimChi t1_j4t6ity wrote

I've been in there. My dad was a truck driver who delivered there and sometimes I'd go with him. It's awesome and creepy at the same time.

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MicFisty t1_j4sbcmq wrote

I swear they used to brew and or store beer in one of these. Perhaps at Louis? I feel like the old truckers used to talk about it.

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chefjustinkc t1_j4swtxv wrote

Living in kc, I've always told myself this is where I'm headed when nuclear war breaks out... If I have time

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ShiftyJFox t1_j4uzgjq wrote

Iirc, I think it was designated as a mass shelter for the whole area in the 50s

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hunterscartel t1_j4sxxdy wrote

my cousin was working down there and sent me pictures, it is truly insane. i think they used the space for storage during WW2 i believe

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SassyFrassMia t1_j4t8aml wrote

The creepiest part of This place... Is driving around in the underground complex. I made a wrong turn once and my car headlights were shining bleakly into a dark cave opening.

I only drove around in here out of curiosity when I lived in Kansas City

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Can_of_Ubik t1_j4txz6o wrote

The work is important and mysterious!

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looktowindward t1_j4ud59a wrote

I'm pretty sure Iron Mountain in Boyers, PA is quite a bit larger.

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ShortOldFatGuy t1_j4v005w wrote

They have the annual Groundhog Day underground run. I think it is a half marathon. Anyone know for sure what the length is?

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SeanOfTheDead1313 t1_j4t35t0 wrote

Is this the one where Romero filmed Day of the Dead?

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