[2] In 1886, George W. Kerford began to quarry limestone from the large bluffs 2 miles (3.2 km) south of downtown Atchison, Kansas.
A businessman in Atchison suggested to them that the Kerford Mines would be an ideal facility to store perishables due to the constant temperature and humidity in the caverns.
In July 1944, the Kerford Quarry Company stopped their mining operations and began to lease the facility to the government for the sum of US$20,000 each year.
[3] The government immediately began renovations, spending nearly $2 million to create a refrigerated storage facility where the temperature would be maintained at 32 degrees.
The War Food Administration stored perishables including meat, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and eggs in the facility.
In the years leading up to World War II, the Army Ordnance Department suffered from a shortage of specialized production machine tools.
The Atchison Storage Facility, with its constant temperature, low humidity and protection from the building threat of nuclear weapons,[4] was chosen to be part of the Ordnance Corps Production Equipment Readiness Program.