Missile

What silent sentinel stands guard over Minnesota’s past? The Missile, a stark reminder of the Cold War, silently speaks volumes. Here, at the edge of the Twin Cities, once stood a bulwark against nuclear annihilation. The Missile, a Nike-Hercules, part of a network designed to intercept Soviet bombers, reminds us of a time when the world held its breath. Four sites, forming a ring around the metro area—Watertown, Farmington, Bethel, and Roberts, Wisconsin—housed these 40-foot behemoths. Each Missile, armed with a nuclear warhead twice as powerful as the one dropped on Hiroshima, lay hidden underground. Imagine, beneath our feet, launchers and elevators ready to propel these weapons skyward. Built in 1959, these sites remained active for about 12 years. They were not just hidden installations. The Missile even made appearances at the Minnesota State Fair and local parades, a strange juxtaposition of everyday life and the ever-present threat of nuclear war. While some Minnesotans felt a sense of uneasy pride, others lived with the chilling knowledge of the destructive power so close to home. The Missile, though never fired in anger, serves as a chilling reminder of that era. After 1971, the sites were decommissioned. The Watertown site became a training ground for firefighters. Ironically, several sites, including Watertown, now grapple with pollution, a legacy of the missile program, though not nuclear waste. The Missile stands as a silent testament to a bygone era, a time of fear and uncertainty, but also a testament to the resilience of a nation. The Missile. A relic of the Cold War. A memory etched in steel and concrete. A reminder of a time when the world teetered on the brink.