SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, an updated look at some underground and earth-sheltered houses, around the world.
Inside ‘Underground House Plan B’
Over at Pinterest: Inside ‘Underground House Plan B,’ a socially distanced, survivalist…
Eastern Oregon’s Notorious Underground
Some fascinating, albeit lurid history: Pendleton Underground Tours.
One Man’s 40-Year Excavation Project
One Man’s 40-Year Excavation Project: Forestiere Underground Gardens. JWR’s Comment: I toured this tunnel complex near Fresno, in 1974. I was then just 14 years old. That tour left a lasting impression!
14 Earth Sheltered Homes
Posted last summer, over at HomeCrux: 14 Earth Sheltered Homes that Promote Sustainable Living.
A Famous Underground Las Vegas House
A newspaper article with an accompanying video, from 2018: Famous underground Las Vegas house to open to public — Photos.
Texas Couple Finds Massive Underground Cavern On Their Property
As reported by iHeart, in October, 2022: Texas Couple Finds Massive Underground Cavern On Their Property. The article begins:
“One Texas couple found a huge surprise beneath their back yard. My San Antonio reported that Don and Debbie Davis own a ranch in northwestern Medina County.
The couple was working on placing the ranch in a conservation easement for the preservation of water. That’s when the Edwards Aquifer Authority discovered a huge cavern on their property.
Debbie explained that it was found in a thick patch of bushes. She said in a report, “In their mapping process, they found this little depression that no one had ever seen before. It was back in a thick clump of brush and we’d never gone there. And sure enough, when we went to check it out, there was a sinkhole with a tiny opening that we had no idea it opened up to this enormous cavern.”
Bexar Grotto, a group of cavers that have been exploring, educating, and conserving caves since 1983, came to the property to check it out. They widened the hole with the hole, using a lot of effort to get the team into the cavern.
The first person to see the cave, Bennett Lee, said that when the team used a flashlight to see inside the cavern it was just a “black void, which lead them to believe they were onto something.
Lee said, “Rare that you open up into a huge room that’s a 70 foot drop. So yeah, it was really amazing to be the first one in there and just see this huge room.”
Australia’s Underground Homes
In South Australia’s very remote opal-mining mecca, Coober Pedy, there are lots of opal mines that have been converted into living spaces. Here is a fascinating video: Descend Into Australia’s Underground Opal Mining Town — Atlas Obscura.
BBC Travel: Australia’s subterranean oasis.
CNET: The strange underground homes in the middle of the Australian desert.
You can even rent this one: Ali’s Underground Home.
A Tour of Underground and Earth-Sheltered Houses
Hobbit Houses We Have Known: A Tour of Underground and Earth Sheltered Houses. Here is a pericope:
“The concept of the earth sheltered house existed long before Tolkien; earth is an excellent insulator and people have been doing this for thousands of years. 1100 years ago, the Vikings built earth sheltered houses in what is now Newfoundland at L’Anse aux Meadows; they dug down a bit into the ground and then built a wood frame over for a roof, which they covered in sod.”
Davis Caves: Recent Construction Photos
From one of America’s most well-known and trusted earth-sheltered house contractors, Davis Caves of Atlanta, Illinois: Recent Construction Photos.
Earth-Bermed Homes in the Hudson Valley
An undated article at the ScenicHudson.org website: Three Cool Earth-Bermed Homes in the Hudson Valley.
Hilarious! Kaufman Institute for Coincidence
And we’ll end today’s column with this satirical fake commercial that we found inked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Kaufman Institute for Coincidence.
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