Hutchinson Salt Mine, Kansas

A large salt mine in Hutchinson, Kansas, one of the largest in the world, has been turned into a storage site for records and other assets, including Hollywood films and oil company data. Developed by the Underground Vaults and Storage Company, it opened in 1959, when a lease was struck with the Carey Salt Mine, which still operates at the location, under a different name. UV&S has 1,660,000 square feet of storage space, employing 65 workers, within a mine that covers more than a square mile underground. The mine has a vertical entrance only. In 1985, UV&S built a loading dock building next to the shaft that connects to mine. In 2003, the Kansas Underground Salt Mine Museum was established, operated by the county historical society and supported by the salt company and UV&S. A new shaft into the mine was constructed, and opened in 2005. Visitors descend in the main shaft, 650 feet below grade, and can tour 100,000 square feet of the mine filled with displays, next to the UV&S storage location.