Despite the obstacles, the project was completed 51 days ahead of schedule. Two workers and four private citizens died in construction and traffic accidents while another 36 suffered disabling injuries. The prime contractor, Peter Kiewit Sons’ Company, brought in 6,000 men and 115 cranes to complete the work that was occasionally hampered by spring rains, severe winter temperatures, dust storms and 58 man-days lost to works stoppages. Overseen by the Corps of Engineers Ballistic Missile Construction Office, field construction of the 150 silos and 10 launch complexes stretching across more than 8,000 square miles begin in January of 1962. That same year, in 1961, the Air Force also selected the land around Minot for a new Minuteman I missile complex. Less than two years later, construction on the first operational Minuteman I force began at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. Named for its symbolic imagery of the nation’s military past and to reflect the quick response time of the missile system, the Minuteman I could be mass-produced, stand unattended for long periods of time, be operated by small crews and stored and launched from underground silos.Ī "tethered" Minuteman I prototype was successfully launched in September of 1959. In order to deter communist aggression and address the apparent missile gap, the US Air Force developed the Minuteman I missile system with the ability to respond to an enemy attack with immediate and massive retaliation. President Eisenhower responded by increasing spending on missile development as would the next administration under President Kennedy. To stunned Americans, Sputnik seemed a sure sign that the Soviet Union was indeed leading in missile technology, and would soon develop ballistic missiles that could reach the United States. It’s open for tours, and the experience is one of a kind.During the early years of the Cold War a push for improved technology was driven by a desire to surpass Soviet missile technology to overcome what seemed to be a growing "missile gap.” The Soviet launching of Sputnik, the world's first satellite, in October of 1957 intensified that push. The Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Site has been left intact like a time capsule. Today, all of the missiles have been removed and the silos have been either repurposed or left abandoned, except for here. The state of North Dakota once held enough nuclear power in hidden, underground silos to be considered one of the most powerful places in the world. This site lies north of Cooperstown, North Dakota and was once a key and integral part of the United State’s defense against potential nuclear warheads coming in from places like the Soviet Union, now Russia, during the suspenseful and tense days of the Cold War. From the surface it doesn’t look like there’s much to see other than a few buildings, but underneath the ground is more than you could ever imagine at first glance. Posted in North Dakota History Augby Leah An Unexpected Piece Of History Is Hiding Underground In The Middle Of Nowhere In North Dakotaĭeep underground in this spot miles from any town or city, out in the middle of nothing but fields, lies an unexpected piece of history that at some point might have saved the entire country – or sparked World War III.
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