Reflect on the Cold War Era at Minuteman Missile
by Molly Barari
Imagine taking a drive from Belle Fourche down to
their lives. I graduated from high school in 1991,
Belvidere, weaving your way through the beautiful
and there was still an element of fear underlying
Black Hills and passed the striking Badlands.
everything. It goes back to what these weapons are:
Then picture this: The Minuteman Missile system
tremendously destructive. They can erase a city off
stretched across that entire landscape during the
the face of the earth. One of the ironies of the park
Cold War with 150 missiles placed along the terrain,
is that nuclear missiles have not really gone away.”
hidden in plain sight but kept on constant alert. The South Dakota system was part of an arsenal of 1,000 total missiles.
celebrates its 20th anniversary as a national park this fall. “How do you tell the story of
The missile system was
a dispersed missile system?”
developed, operated and
asked Leonard. “Well, you have
maintained as a nuclear
to visit three different places to
deterrent in hopes that
get the whole story.”
Russia would not fire first. Now the Minuteman Missile Site is part of the national park system, serving as a historic site to preserve the story and culture of the Cold War era.
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The Minuteman Missile Site
The site spans a 15-mile stretch of highway. Visitors can view an actual Minuteman missile at the missile silo, which is free and open daily year round. The control center can be seen from behind the gate
“It’s a story of vigilance — a question of how do we
year round; but to ride the elevator underground
as a nation protect ourselves?” said Eric Leonard,
into the control center, visitors must make
superintendent of Minuteman Missile National
reservations for ranger-led tours. The visitor center,
Historic Site. “For Baby Boomers, this is the story
located off I-90 at the gateway of the Badlands,
of their childhood and early adulthood. That fear
is free and open daily year round. Leonard
of nuclear war was a constant presence during
encourages people to visit all three sites, and for
History
