How Many Cold War Missile Silos Are Left in South Dakota?

At the height of the Cold War, many of America's western states saw an abundance of Missile Silos. When tensions between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were at their peak, the frozen conflict spurred the Americans to quickly install over 1,000 Minuteman ICBM Missile Silos west of the Mississippi River. Kansas had the most, but other Great Plains States (Nebraska, Oklahoma, North Dakota, and South Dakota) weren't all that far behind.

On Christmas Day, 1991, it was announced that the Soviet Union (America's bitter rival for nearly 50 years) had ended. With that ending, many of our nation's missile silos became obsolete and, within a few years, were decommissioned and torn down. Most of the silos within South Dakota's borders were on that list, except for two. Here is their unique and compelling story.

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Where Can You Find the Cold War Missile Silos in the Mount Rushmore State?

Exit 131 off Interstate 90 in South Dakota is a pretty important one. Turning left will take you into the historic Badlands, while turning right brings you to the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. There are two primary sites to tour (both well worth visiting), with the first being the Delta-01 site. This site is where the staff controlled the missiles and where visitors can see the above-ground support building and underground bunker.

Ten miles away lies the Delta-09 site. This is where the missiles would've been launched (thankfully, they were never needed), giving visitors the opportunity of a lifetime in viewing a decommissioned nuclear missile from the Cold War era.

What's the Tour Like?

There are twenty stops in the park's audio tour that address different topics about the Minuteman Missile systems. The first ten stops cover the Delta-09 Launch Facility (missile silo), and stops eleven through twenty cover the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility. Listen to them while visiting and walking around the sites, or listen to them at your own time and convenience. Diagrams are provided to help give an understanding of what the narrator is discussing.

-Minuteman Missile Website

To learn more about the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and to find tour information, check out the website here.

You can also do a deep dive into the historic site by watching the YouTube video below from South Dakota Public Broadcasting.