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Location DB > United States > Texas > Channelview > The Ordnance Depot > City Ordnance

Story Info
Mon, Jun 18th, 2007
posted by Explorer Zero
City Ordnance

Who would ever look for this here, in this place? Over 5000 acres near downtown Houston? You gotta be kidding me. The more I read the more intrigued I became. About two minutes on Google Earth confirmed there were indeed igloos poking out of the woods and brush, some out in the middle of open fields even a few nearby to public roads.

Igloos as they are sometimes called are steel and concrete bunkers usually just a large cylindrical or rectangular room with a heavy door, a vent and a big pile of dirt. Designed to protect ammo and explosive ordnance from attack, or weather, or theft they didnt mess around when they built these. In fact thats what keeps some of these sites from being bulldozed. The bulldozer will just bounce off and more drastic forms of demolition is required. These igloos also prevented the whole ammo dump from going up if something went wrong or there was a fire in one of them. They are spaced a good distance apart for that reason and so that they cant all be knocked out in one raid.

As I rolled up on the scene a slow moving freight train pulling about 60 tank cars was blocking my route. I was hoping to beat the rain. It had rained here earlier that morning and this just added to the fun of an already swampy area. I waited for the train as the thunder rolled in. Rain is not the digital photographers friend so I hastily shoved the camera and speedlight in my weatherproof carry bag. I hate doing this because while it protects the camera it often mean lost opportunity for wildlife shots. And today was no different. No sooner than the train pulled out a coyote broke the treeline and looked right at me. Too far, too much trouble so I plodded on. Halfway there three South American egrets (cattle egrets) landed beside me and followed along gobbling up the bugs I was stirring up in the tall grass. Then it started raining good.

Fortunately I made it to the first bunker in time to avoid a Texas size cloudburst. I was a little nervous about being near the door because I have always heard that lighting can zap you even inside the mouth of a cave and this place was very much like a cave. As I stood there pondering the risks a bolt of blue hot lightening hit the ground just across the road from my bunker! The light was so intense I could feel it on my face.

Inside the bunker it was steamy. Every little sound echoed in a hollow staccato sound. I sat down for a moment and contemplated what manner of munitions had been stored here. Torpedos? Rockets? 15" shells for big naval guns? The thought even occured to me that nerve agents or chemicals couldve been stored in here. Outside the rain had stopped and the birds began chirping so I was on the move again.

Down one road then another were dozens of nearly identical bunkers one after another. Most were open all were empty. I considered taking a shortcut just for variety but soon found ankle deep, quicksand like mud and knee deep green water. Then I spotted it. Windows! A building with windows and a loading dock and a rail platform. I found the depot! At least one of them.

Vines and tree limbs from the forest were draped around the forgotten terminal like long dark arms embracing a wayward child. Pulling it back in as if to say, youre not going anywhere! Bullet holes riddled every pane of glass and a water moccasin slithered just beyond my boot slosh as I waded through water and weeds. The sounds of the birds made this place seem like something lost in time deep in the jungle primeval.

It was surreal just being back here and the next wave of thunderstorms was knocking outside telling me my trip was over for now. But I'll be back and I wont be able to stop thinking about this place until Ive explored every bunker and searched every building.

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