![]() ![]() It was a key component of America's Cold War policy of deterrence and by extension helped facilitate a peaceful end to the Cold War. As the first solid-fuel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile ever deployed by the United States, the Minuteman enhanced America's military capabilities. The Minuteman system transformed the prairie into a military and technological frontier. The industrial might and mechanistic strength held within the underground silos were in stark contrast to the above-ground fields of golden wheat and pastoral grazing lands.įor three decades - 1963-1993 - thousands of people passed through this seemingly peaceful area unaware of the destructive force hidden beneath the landscape. These missiles held warheads that could have been used in a devastating counter strike against the Soviet Union in the event of a nuclear war. Then in 1989 the Berlin Wall fell.¹ĭispersed across the rolling high plains of western South Dakota during the Cold War were 150 Minuteman Missiles. For nearly three decades Ellsworth's 44th Missile Wing stood on alert. ![]() It was a weapon for which there was virtually no defense - for a war no one could win. With the turn of a key, the missile could deliver its nuclear weapon to a Soviet target in 30 minutes or less. The Minuteman was one of the most significant strategic weapons in U.S. This lesson is part of the National Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) program. ![]()
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