Closer than You Imagined
...for years, countless travellers had driven across Interstate 90 in western South Dakota, en route to Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, or Yellowstone National Park,...within sight of nearly a dozen nuclear missile sites....
Tim Pavek, Ellsworth Air Force Base,
Minuteman Program Deactivation Manager & Missile Engineer
Are you on your way to or from the Black Hills or Yellowstone? You may be surprised to learn that during the Cold War parts of South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado hid some terrifying secrets--hundreds of Minuteman II missiles were scattered across ranch and prairie grasslands.
Here at Minuteman Missile National Historic Site you can find out how important these Cold War era weapons were to the safety of the United States. Learn how each Minuteman missile carried on its tip the potential for unimaginable destruction. Missiles installed here on the Great Plains deterred nuclear threats from the Soviet Union for more than 30 years.
Photo caption:
Duck and Cover?
Does someone in your family remember going through duck and cover drills at school?
Visitor Services
Tours of a launch control facility, as well as a missle silo are available throughout the year. Check at the visitor center, or by calling (605) 433-5552.
Marker is on Badlands Loop (State Highway 240), on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
