In the 1960s, the Canadian government built small underground shelters to act as Fallout Reporting Posts to monitor radioactive fallout in the event of a nuclear attack. They were part of a nationwide Nuclear Detonation and Fallout Reporting System (NDFRS) that aimed to provide information on the location, intensity and pattern of nuclear explosions and their aftermath. In Manitoba, 200 fallout reporting posts were planned, and at least 100 were confirmed to have been constructed.
The fallout reporting posts in Manitoba were distributed across the province, mostly near federal or provincial agencies, such as railway stations, RCMP offices, or hydroelectric plants. Some were even located in more remote areas, such as Moose Lake, Beaver Creek, and Devil’s Lake.
I’ve visited a few of these sites, and so far they have all looked identical. They have all consisted of a vertical metal tunnel that led down to a cylindrical metal chamber, about fifteen feet long and seven feet in diameter.
Recently I stopped at Devil’s Lake Rest Stop to view the Fallout Reporting post located there. While this site was very easy to locate and was literally right off the highway, the casual observer would not notice it. The site has been completely overgrown, and the Fallout Post is completely hidden by shrubbery.
The hill where the Fallout Post is located is shown in the first image, with Highway 6 beside it. In the second image, where I am much closer to the Fallout Post, it’s still very hard to see. The most noticeable feature is the shelter’s air tube, which has an orange tip.
If someone were to walk by the hill, I don’t think they would notice the Fallout Post, unless they were actively looking for it.
During my visit to this site, the door was locked and inaccessible, so I was not able to enter. Judging from the exterior, this Fallout Post would be identical to the one at Moose Lake, and Beaver Creek.
While it’s disappointing that I didn’t get to enter the Fallout Post, it was still fun to find. The scenery at Devil’s Lake was beautiful and the lake’s shoreline was surrounded by some of my favorite Manitoba vegetation; Saskatoons and Tiger Lilies.
