"Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction." President Eisenhower, January 1961

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is one of the nation's newest national park areas. It was created to illustrate the history and significance of the Cold War, the arms race, and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development.

Minuteman Missile NHS consists of two significant Cold War sites, a Launch Control Facility (Delta-01) and a missile silo complex (Delta-09). The facilities represent the only remaining intact components of a nuclear missile field that consisted of 150 Minuteman II missiles, 15 launch control centers, and covered over 13,500 square miles of southwestern South Dakota.

Formerly part of the 44th Strategic Missile Wing of Ellsworth Air Force Base and one of 150 Minuteman missile silos. The sprawling complex remained on alert for nearly 30 years, until the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was signed by President George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991. Under the terms of the treaty, the missiles were removed from their silos, and in 1994 the 44th Missile Wing was officially deactivated. The last site was destroyed in 1996, leaving a single launch facility and silo to be preserved as Cold War historic sites. Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located about 7 miles (11 km) east of Rapid City, South Dakota and is home to the B-1B Lancer. ... START, officially the STrategic Arms Reduction Treaty was a nuclear weapons limitation treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union. ... Order: 41st President Vice President: J. Danforth Quayle Term of office: January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 Preceded by: Ronald Reagan Succeeded by: Bill Clinton Date of birth: June 12, 1924 Place of birth: Milton, Massachusetts First Lady: Barbara Pierce Bush Political party: Republican George Herbert Walker Bush (born June... Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov (Gorbachev)  listen? (Russian: ; pronunciation: ) (born March 2, 1931), was leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

The launch facility , known as Delta Nine, occupies 1.6 acres one-half mile southwest of Interstate 90 at Exit 116 and six miles from the town of Wall. It consists of a silo 12 feet in diameter and 80 feet deep made of reinforced concrete with a steel-plate liner. The door to the silo will be welded and fitted with a transparent roof, and an unarmed missile placed inside. Not only will this permit visitors to look down on the missile, but satellites will be able to verify that the site is not operational, and hence in compliance with START. Wall is a town located in Pennington County, South Dakota. ...

The launch control facility, known as Delta One, is about 11 miles away. It occupies approximately six acres 1.7 miles north of I-90 at Exit 127. It consists of an aboveground building containing a kitchen, sleeping quarters, and life support equipment, and a launch control center buried 31 feet deep and connected to the main building by an elevator.

Reservations are required for tours, which are limited to six people.

See also

• LGM-30 Minuteman: Minuteman missile

The LGM-30 Minuteman is a United States nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). ...

External links

• Minuteman Missile National Historic Site