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Take a Trip back to the Cold War at the Minuteman Missile Silo

Published by Jason Hussong, Writer

Country: United States

The Experience

Former U.S. Cold War missileer Craig Manson thinks the preservation of the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in South Dakota is “a most fitting idea because the Cold War dominated the last half of the twentieth century… [and] most of American life, in one way or another, was defined by the Cold War.”

The U.S. National Park Service now controls the area, preserving it as the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, standing as a reminder of the dangers faced by a standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States after the Second World War. Following the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) of 1991 by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and American President George H.W. Bush, the launch site and the missile silo, one of 150, was deactivated as the two countries sought peace. As the Cold War was ended in 1999 by an act of Congress, the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is a remaining education for tourists in the Rapid City area.

While it’s easy to drive by the sites with little thought or notice on the way to the Badlands National Park or other locations in Rapid City and beyond, a glimpse back into the Cold War Minuteman Missile Silo should not be missed.

The missile at Delta-09, the military name for the missile silo, remains hidden underground in the middle of a grassy desert. The heavy capstone that once sat on top of it is now pushed to the side, and a protective glass panel allows the curious photographer a view straight down the silo and onto the Minuteman II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, which at one time had the ability to destroy whole cities, continents away.

The Delta-01 launch facility looks like a normal home with an abnormally large fence around it. And while it certainly looks homely on the top level inside, with separate barrack rooms and a nice lounge and kitchen area, it’s what’s underneath that makes the difference. A short elevator ride below the secured facility leads to a launch bunker where airmen took shifts at the controls of the nuclear arsenal. Locked-down shifts with sleeping quarters, food and bathrooms, were provided without ever needing to open the massive protective door. And it is here where the panic could’ve all started with just a push of a few buttons.

A third spot, an interpretive park service ranger station, is a short drive farther east from Delta-01. The National Park Service is now in the process of transferring facilities to build a more permanent structure, as the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is still being developed.

Passersby wouldn’t notice the Minuteman Missile silo, just off the south side of the road as they drive on Interstate 90 in South Dakota, if a sign didn’t point them in the direction. Nor would they pay much attention to a house, Delta-01, just a few miles east that once acted as the launch facility for the missiles. Other than being fenced in, it all looked relatively nondescript, but just a few decades prior, at the fingertips of men in a protected bunker deep in the earth, both locations protected the nation as the nuclear arms race of the Cold War was at its peak. At the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, these memories are vividly recalled.

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When to Go to Minuteman Missile Silo

The best time of year to visit the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is in the warmer months of spring, summer and fall. The facility tour is inside and air conditioned, but the launch site is outside in an open field, and will be difficult to enjoy if it's cold and covered in snow. More tour times are also available in the summer months, thus offering greater flexibility for your travels.

Odds n' Ends

Three separate locations (ranger station and museum, launch facility, and launch site) make up the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, so it's essential to have a car to get between the spots. Tour times of the launch facility vary daily and seasonally, so check ahead to make sure it's possible to visit since access is not granted outside of tour times. The actual launch site, missile silo Delta-09, is located a short drive west of the facility and is generally open during the day for personal visits. Tours are not offered at the small fenced-in site.

A visit to the South Dakota Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is also easily combined with a stop at the Badlands National Park. A car is also necessary to get here, but a great variety of hiking trails are available at various trailheads once inside the park. It's probably better to do it as an afterthought so you're not tired and sweaty before going on a tour of the Minuteman Missile sites—and surely the rest of the tour group will appreciate that!

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Books and DVDs

Moon Mount Rushmore & the Black Hills: Including the Badlands
It Happened in South Dakota: Remarkable Events That Shaped History
US Strategic and Defensive Missile Systems 1950-2004

Elsewhere on the Web

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site -NPS.gov

Media References

Numbers Game: A Review of Countdown to Zero - CChronicle.com (blog)

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