Watch CBS News

Preserved Cold War Bomb Shelter Discovered At Placer High School

AUBURN (CBS13) - A bomb shelter at Placer High School in Auburn was loaded with items designed to keep students alive in the event of a nuclear attack.

It was the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis and schools, when they weren't practicing their duck and cover moves, were stocking up on things students would need to stay alive in the event of a nuclear attack.

At Placer High it was a stockpile that got lost over the decades, until now.

"So this is how it was found. Nothing's been touched," a school representative told CBS13.

Remarkably, it looks how it looked more than half a century ago.

"And look at the discovery, this is just unbelievable," the representative said.

The forgotten room revealed reminders of an unforgettable time in history.

It has everything from food to medical supplies to water.

"This water is actually clear so it's survived probably 60 years," the representative said.

It's as clear as the Cold War was dangerous.

This bombshell discovery was made as Placer High began redoing its weight room.

Little did anyone know, behind an old board was a heavy dose of history.

So, how did it stay hidden for so long?

"I guess over time people didn't touch it. It didn't get used. It's not really an accessible room, so it just kind of got left," the representative said.

"This got sealed and somehow this got locked and nobody knew there was always a suspicion there was a bomb shelter here," the representative said.

So what happens now?

One idea is to leave it as is, surround it with glass and use it as a sort of time-capsule classroom.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.