Minuteman Missile NHS Delta-01 and Delta-09

What is hidden in plain site in South Dakota?  It's the Minuteman Missile Silos and Minuteman Missile National Historic Park!  Yesterday, we toured Delta-01 and Delta-09 as part of our Memorial Day experience.  

Before we went to Delta-01, we watched a brand new 30-minute movie called, "Beneath the Plains: The Minuteman Missile On Alert," the National Parks released this weekend that Jim in and helped with.  Here's a little movie trailer.  It was VERY good and one would think a 30-minute would be long and boring, but this was REALLY good and it was over before you knew it and you still wanted to know more.

The Minuteman Missile NHS is located at three different exits along I-90 in western South Dakota - just across from the Badlands National Park.  The Visitors Center is located at Exit 131, Delta-01 (Launch Control Facility) is located at Exit 127 and Delta-09 (Missile) is at Exit 116.  Currently, parking lots are being expanded at Delta-01 and Delta-09 so big rigs or RVs better not go there because you can't turn around - however there is ample room at the Visitors Center to park and either unhitch or take your smaller vehicle to the other sites.  Small Class C campers shouldn't have any trouble at Delta-01 or Delta-09.

The Visitors Center is small and compact but clean and has everything you'd want to see there.  There is also a small gift shop of trinkets, post cards, shirts, etc. as well as a nice exhibit to view.  Hours for the Visitors Center is 8 am - 4 pm daily.  There are no fees to go to the Visitors Center, but to access Delta-01 Launch Control Facility and take a tour the fee is $6.00 per person; children $4.00.  I ordered our tickets through www.blackhillsvacations.com.  Only 6 people can be on one tour because the elevator to the underground launch control will only hold 6 people and the launch area is so tiny that even for 6 people it's tight.  Buy you tickets well in advance!!  They sell out quickly.  Call 866-601-5129 to make reservations through the park.

Once you arrive at Delta-01, we were fortunately to have Jim Boensch, a retired Air Force Minuteman Missile officer, as our tour guide to share and tell of what life was like to work there at Delta command. He gave us a briefing about the exterior of the facility - antennas, talking about deterrents and how the missiles were hidden in plain site. You can see the freeway from Delta-01, but most people didn't know they existed.  For people who lived on the farms there were signs everywhere with where each one was located.  We both thought how cool it was to have someone who actually worked there during the Cold War to be our tour guide!

After seeing all the ground, you enter through the back of the building to where the sleeping quarters were.  There were only a few people at the location at a time, but due to  harsh winters, sometimes when you shift was over the weather prevented you from going home, so extra bunks were in the building.  In time, female airmen came to Delta-01 and so separate bathrooms were made.

After touring the up-top command location and sleeping/relaxing quarters, you headed down to the Launch Control Center using an elevator that takes you 31 feet underground where the exact consoles are still in place.  It really was like stepping back into the 70s with the technology.  The Launch Control Center was have the ability to arm 10 Minuteman II missiles from this spot.  They would receive orders with launch codes, they enter the codes.  One officer is at one station control away from the other officer and they turn their keys simultaneously where the launch codes will interface with the correct missiles taking them to their intended targets.  (Just as a note, if for some reason the elevator doesn't work when it's time to head back up top, you will have to climb 2 sets of 15 foots ladders - so take that into consideration if you want to do this tour). 

I LOVED this sign:
WORLD-WIDE DELIVERY IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS
OR  YOUR NEXT ONE IS FREE!

See how THICK these doors were!

Heading back up top

Various missiles - Minuteman on the Right

Delta-09 (Launch Facility) only has a park ranger to give two tours daily 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. however you are able to go to this location and take a self-guided audio tour accessible year round that has 10 stops at this site.  The phone number is provided on the fence.  Delta-09 was the site of a fully operational Minuteman Missile consisting of 1.2 megaton nuclear warhead.  This is only one of 150 spread across western South Dakota.  There were over 1,000 of these across the plain from the 1960s to 1990s.  You can see the unarmed missile now.  The silo was 12 feet in diameter and 80 feet deep made of concrete with a steel plate liner.  Here is access to the script of this site.

This glass covers the missile so it's hard to photograph

This was a very interesting National Historic Site and one every American should really see.  You'll never see anything quite like it.