Man With A Plan
Bruce Beach was spending his time traveling across the Canadian borders to begin his colossal projects several decades after fleeing his home. He had started amassing a massive collection of old school buses, this caused locals to think that Bruce had gone completely mad.
But the thing was, Bruce needed these school buses for their reinforced steel roofs. He was working with a plan in mind and once he had the buses, he started digging.
Modern Mystery
Bruce is 83-years-old and despite his age, he has been able to build one of North America's most bizarre structures. Hidden under mass amounts of snow and ice in Ontario Canada, is one of the greatest modern mysteries on planet earth.
The authorities have been trying their absolute hardest to put an end to Bruce's vision, but intense fear and a sense of purpose is what drives Bruce to continue on with his vision.
Underground
Bruce's creation is almost entirely underground and no one has ever been able to get inside.
It is a massive pit with tunnels and labyrinths that apparently tunnel deep below the surface of the earth. Apparently, the fear that caused Bruce to bury 42 buses underground didn't creep up to him over a long period of time, but instead the fear hit him in a terrible wave back in the 1970's.
Growing Up
As a young boy, Bruce was raised in Winfield, Kansas. But when he was a young man, something happened that changed Bruce's life forever.
The sense of menace which existed during the Vietnam War was followed by the Cold War. Bruce grew up in the most turbulent time in American history and this took its toll on Bruce's mind as a young person
Fled To Canada
Bruce couldn't bear the fear of another war taking place in his country, that's why he took his entire family and fled to Canada.
That is where he started his mission that transformed him into a living legend. What was he thinking he was doing?
Small Town
Bruce decided to set his base up in Horning's Mills, his wife, Jean's, hometown. Horning's Mills was a small, rural village situated two hours from Toronto, far from prying eyes.
He was convinced that doom followed around every corner, and he was prepared to do something about it.
Bus Collection
Between 1980 and 1985, Bruce dedicated his time to collecting old, retired school buses. He wanted to collect as many as he possibly could. It cost him about $300 per bus and he had them delivered directly to his home.
He collected 42 busses in five years. This collection cost him a lot of money but the buses were an integral part of Bruce's plan.
Digging A Hole
Once he had them all, he strategically arranged them all side by side. He then took them apart and connected them to each other.
Then, on a 12-and-a-half-acre piece of land, Bruce dug a huge 14-foot pit deep into the ground and buried the buses. Why was he doing this?
Concrete
Once buried, Bruce filled the massive pit with two feet of solid concrete. This was his attempt at making sure that the buses would never be able to see the light of day.
He then opened each bus to get them to form a huge underground labyrinth. This created one of the largest underground structures in North America.
Ark Two
By the end of it, the shelter took up 10,000 square feet underground. He named it 'Ark Two'. It is said that the underground arc can fit up to 500 people inside of it.
Bruce built the structure thinking that people would have to use it. But who would he allow inside? And why?
Right Of Admission
Bruce decided early on exactly who would be allowed inside Ark Two. People carrying infectious diseases are out.
But even if the people who wanted to populate the shelter appeared healthy, Bruce was afraid they would contaminate his Ark, so he decided to build a decontamination chamber. And he did this for a very specific reason.
Protection
You see, Bruce is a “prepper.” He’s convinced that the apocalypse is imminent and has done everything to prepare for it. While some believe the end is near due to religious beliefs, others have different reasons to believe the world will be coming to an end soon.
Preppers prepare for everything from the zombie apocalypse to a global pandemic.
Nobody Gets In
As for reporters and other curiosity seekers, Ark Two is almost completely off-limits. Bruce is, understandably, wary of prying eyes. Most members of the press who have tried to report on Ark Two have been deemed unworthy of the privilege by Bruce.
Those who have managed to get a rare peek inside have only been allowed to do so after performing a task of Bruce’s devising - like chopping firewood or doing other chores for the benefit of the Ark.
Problems With The Law
The local government is not happy about Ark Two. In their eyes, it’s a health and safety hazard. They would like nothing more than to see it destroyed.
Because Ark Two was built without the proper permits, the local government has spent more than $250,000 to try and shut it down. The local fire department, however, takes a more direct approach.
Closed
Instead of waging legal battles, the Ontario fire department has sent in the fire brigade to physically cordon off and close Ark Two.
They’ve sealed the entrances twice, but Bruce has found a way to get it open again every time. But how does Bruce’s family feel about the whole situation? Do they support him?