At the height of the Cold War the nuclear missiles in South Dakota and five other states presented a paradox; while Soviet satellites had pinpointed their locations, American citizens were scarcely aware of the arsenal in their midst. Thirty years ago, concerned peace groups undertook the task of mapping the missile fields with the intention of sparking debate about the weapons stored there.
When first published by the Wisconsin-based organization Nukewatch in 1988, the book Nuclear Heartland provided the first publicly accessible maps and driving directions to each of the 1,000 Minuteman Missile silos located in six fields across the United States. This year, the group published a revised edition of the book, which includes information on the 1990s "Drawdown" of the missile fields in rural Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota, as well as detailed accounts of peace actions in the missile fields from 1958 to the present.
At 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 23, John LaForge—activist and co-editor of the revised edition of Nuclear Heartland—will speak at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site's visitor center about the work that he and others continue to do in fostering a dialogue about nuclear weapons.
"The original edition of Nuclear Heartlandwas released during a critical time at the end of the Cold War. This new edition serves as a reminder that nuclear weapons are still keeping a constant watch on the high plains," said Superintendent Eric Leonard.
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site's headquarters and visitor center is located off of exit 131, Interstate 90. The park consists of three sites along a fifteen mile stretch of Interstate 90 in Western South Dakota. Established by Congress in 1999, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site preserves components of the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile system, interpreting the deterrent value of the land-based portion of America's nuclear defense during the Cold War era and commemorating the people and events associated with this recent period of American history.
Comments
How do your overthrow "some" of the federal goverment? Please show me any statement of their's where they want to "overthrow" the Constitutional goverment of the U.S.
It sure was pleasant around here for a couple of weeks. There were actually some coherent, thoughtful and interesting exchanges of ideas. What happened?
it bottles my mind that some of you still try to engage with someone who just wants to argue with you. why waste your time?
You're right, Lee. What is, is, and I need to just walk away. Apologies to the group for my anger.
Rick, nice exit to run from having to show the Bundy group wants to overthrow the government. Guess we will put that down as another baseless accusation. And Matt, someone has to engage these folks and expose them even if they are here just for argument.
In the meantime, I highly recommend a visit to Minuteman Missile. It's a fascinating place that relates just a small part of the history of the Cold War.
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2013/07/exploring-parks-minuteman-m...
And if you happen to be thawing out in Tucson, head a little way south on Interstate 19 where you'll find a Titan Missile site preserved for your visit. (Then drive a little farther south and you'll come to Tumacacori National Historical Park. Another must-visit place!)
A little documentation regarding the "secret" status of Minuteman Missile silos and their locations is available in an NPS PDF from Minuteman Missile. I haven't been able to get a workable link, but if you go to the park's website, and then look under BROCHURES below the BASIC INFORMATION selection, you should find it. The rest of the site makes very ineresting reading, too. Dunno why none of us seem to have thought of going to the original source right off the bat.
The following paragraph from the second page of the Launch Facility brochure puts to rest the false claim that these were secret sites and that anyone "disclosing" the site locations was somehow a traitor.
They were, according to this, DELIBERATELY not secret. The U.S. wanted the U.S.S.R. to know exactly how many of these things we had aimed at them.
The launch control facilities and missile silos of the Cold War, and even those that exist today, were never a secret. Many community members even participated in the construction. The locations of these sites were never kept secret from the Soviet Union, either. By making them visible, especially from the air, the Soviet Union
could count how many intercontinental ballistic missiles the United States possessed. By having 1,000, the U.S. hoped to outpace the Soviet Union in the nuclear arms build-up, to discourage an attack, and prevent a nuclear war.