The Bank stopped using the salt mines in 1997. Bank archives
Back to the salt mines
“650 feet down”…That was the headline on a 1980s internal newsletter article describing how— and where—the Bank stored essential records in the sprawling salt mines of Hutchinson, Kansas.
Starting in 1961, amid the Cold War and global concerns about nuclear threats, the Bank rented underground storage vaults and office space in the salt mines as part of its records management program. Bank officers ensured that paper copies of essential files from the head office and all three branch offices were boxed up and securely stored in parts of a mined-out complex that covered more than 300 acres and served thousands of other “depositors.” Strict protocols controlled access to the Bank’s space. The Bank used the Hutchinson salt mines until 1997, when it moved that part of its records storage operation closer to Kansas City.
The cool, dry and low-humidity conditions of the Hutchinson mines offered an ideal atmosphere for preservation of bank records. And though, fortunately, the need never arose, the Bank’s space in the salt mines was equipped to serve as a bomb shelter, with food and supplies to accommodate 400 people.