missile silos in illinois

eventually we came to a missile silo right near State Highway 34 and there was a semi-truck backed up right onto the pad inside the perimeter of the . Later the AN/TSQ-51 "Missile Mentor" solid-state computer system was installed. Was an Unusual Salvador Dal Painting Actually His? Rebuilt as Los Angeles County prison camp. are the names of places, businesses, cities, etc. There are two adjacent ski recreation areas. The site was equipped with the AN/GSG-5(V) BIRDIE solid-state computer system. WTTW News Explains: How Does Chicagos Grid Street System Work? Rhode Island Army National Guard, most buildings intact, Magazine area used as a motor pool. Former double magazine. Another launch facility was on the South Side in Jackson Park, with the radar and control center on Promontory Point. The road to the site is down the road to the left. Buildings in good condition and in use. FDS. Complete with radar towers, in use, use unknown. Spot a (Former) Nuclear Missile Silo - National Park Service Obliterated, no evidence of launch site. Launcher area now motor pool for military vehicles. Located at Bailey's Hill Park. Concrete around magazines severely cracked both Ajax and Hercules doors. Well preserved site with numerous IFC buildings in use. Porter Center Road divides site into west and east sections. The sites were using mixed warheads; meaning always 2 sections nuclear-capable (W31 selectable 20 or 2 kiloton yield) and 1 section only conventional (T-45 High Explosive) armed.[5]. Double magazine in good shape. Radars were FPS-93A and in 1982 the FPS-117 was installed. To reach the site, drive to William W. Powers State Recreation Area in southeast Chicago. Mostly sold off. Manned by C/36th (/54-9/58), C/1/562nd (9/58-3/60) and MDArNG A/1/70th (3/60-12/62). Some old military buildings, off "Nike Site Road". FDS. Different parts of the site also took on various roles including a fire and police academy, school, and target range. The site was equipped with the AN/GSG-5(V) BIRDIE solid-state computer system. Private ownership, 4 military buildings still exist, usage unknown. "New Testament Church". FDS. IFC existed right along the lakefront, but has now been developed and turned into an open prairie as part of the forest preserve. FDS. Abandoned. pinching the display with two fingers. Land was transferred to the Municipality of Anchorage, and has been converted to a park. Fenced. The mountain between the launcher and the IFC was "notched" in three places to allow the Missile Tracking Radar to acquire the missile while sitting on the launcher. Dual magazines, in overgrown area, visible. The site was purchased by a developer with a school built on the launch area. Township of Lumberton and private owner. At some later time it transferred to Military Airlift Command, and on 1 Jun 1992 transferred to Air Mobility Command. missile site called suspicious", "Lumberton's Cold War Legacy: Nike Missile Battery PH-23/25. Where are all the missile silos in the US? - Quora The generator building, guard house and warheading building are present and largely intact. But, by the late 50s, the Soviet Union shifted its strategy because those aircraft were vulnerable to attack. Intact, Explosives Technology. Area has now become a "Academy Sports and Outdoors" distribution facility. It was used until 15 December 1975 for Civil Air Patrol use, being called Fork CAP Annex. Interstate 87. Most buildings razed and rebuilt as a Relay site. Air Force operations at the site ended in 1962, and Nike operations were inactivated in 1974. This is an early Ajax-only site that was never converted to Hercules. Since that time there have been hundreds of Atlas, Titan, Minuteman and Peacekeeper sites constructed all the way from Texas to North Dakota, New Mexico to Montana. The security gate to the MAF is 968 feet from the road. Intact, NMArNG Miliray Academy. The historic Nike Missile launch site was once. Buildings exist on east side of road, appear to be in poor condition and overgrown. They are cement-block shells. Nike Ajax sites were phased out from 1960 to 1963. 20th Century Castles offers missile bases, communications bunkers, silos and other unique, underground properties. The first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silos arrived on the Great Plains in 1959 when Atlas sites were constructed in Wyoming. No evidence of IFC site. A few buildings, mostly forested. A few vehicles being stored in abandoned berm area, appears in good shape. The AAFC was integrated with the USAF Air Defense Command/NORAD Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense radar network as Site SM-151 / Z-151. Redeveloped into single-family housing, no evidence of IFC. The site's housing and administrative complex was sold to a private owner and is currently being used as a residence. Several radar towers standing, several buildings in radar area deteriorating, and some loose concrete on site. After the Nike site was closed in 1966, was taken over by the Air Force which used it as a communications facility and satellite tracking site. Army Air-Defense Command Post (AADCP) B-21DC established at Fort Heath, MA in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions. Magazines are present, welded shut, and badly degraded. FDS. Formerly located on Hog Island, formerly Ft. Duvall. Fenced and gated. The 436th AAAB was redesignated as an antiaircraft artillery missile battalion on 5 January 1957 and subsequently occupied four Nike Ajax sites, which went to 1st Missile Battalion, 61st Artillery on 1 September 1958. Completely redeveloped into industrial park on W side of Calumet Ave. N of 45th St. Abandoned, in private hands. DF-30DC was integrated with the USAF Air Defense Command/NORAD Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense radar network as Site P-78 / Z-78. One diagram in particular raised a few eyebrows: It showed the location of a Missile Alert Facility, along with the silos for 10 nuclear weapons. A one-armed veteran of the Battle of Waterloo lies in a cemetery for one in the middle of a Chicago scrapyard. Guided public tours are available JuneSeptember through a local non-profit organization. FDS. Largely obliterated, now Massachusetts Audubon education center. List of Nike missile sites - Wikipedia Town of Milford, board of education. But the missile crews would practice bringing them up from underground and pointing them at the sky. The site was purchased by a developer who intended to split the property, with the new Spring Run neighborhood to be built on the control area. The other two Illinois facilities were in Grafton and Hector, with a fourth location in Pacific, Missouri. On 18 Sep 1968, IFC-2 was designated the Palehua AF Solar Observatory Research Site, activated, and assigned to Military Airlift Command with jurisdiction and operational control assigned to Air Weather Service. Obliterated, Army terrorism training site, demolished but support structure for target acquisition radar still intact. Fort Monroe, HQ Training and Doctrine Command. IFC Redeveloped into 2 parks; no remains. Every fall, the park holds a, Obliterated, only foundations remain, Township owned. . Above-ground Nike-Hercules site, missiles protected by berms. C-41 Jackson Park. FDS. Partially intact, on "Nike Road". While all of the munitions have been removed from the site, one of the decomissioned missiles is still on display in nearby Villa Park, Illinois, in front of the town's VFW hall. Magazines were sealed during environmental hazards assessment in the 1990s but were then opened and badly vandalized. Air Force operations ended 8 Sep 1968; the AADCP inactivated in 1969. Now under private ownership, Explosives Technology. C-70 Naperville, Illinois - Nike Missile Sites on Waymarking.com Used as a storage area. Do you have a question for Geoffrey? Private ownership. Some buildings in use, others very deteriorated. Part of this property (Control Site 5, from the Nike layout) had an even earlier use by the Army Air Forces. Fairfax County ownership, maintenance yard. Land cleared and being redeveloped into forested area. Partially intact, buildings, some radar towers, tourist area, Golden Gate National Recreation Area. C-92 Redeveloped into Vernon Hills Athletic Complex. Owned by State of California. In the early part of the Cold War, the threat (perceived or real) of Soviet attack prompted the creation of several U.S. weapons, including the Nike missile. Double magazine site, now a storage yard. Due to its solid fuel technology, the missiles could be mass produced. C-50 Homewood. Buildings torn down, foundations remain. Redeveloped into Robert Manry Park. No purchase necessary. The missile launchers were in a large bermed compound on the other side of the lagoons adjoining the Edens Expressway, about a quarter of a mile south of Dundee Road. Above ground magazines protected by berms. As of 1959 the Italian commanding unit was: The IFC is mostly burned (prior to the fire, the IFC was used as a minimum security prison). FDS Location Undetermined. Now obliterated, High-end single-family housing, no evidence of IFC. Radar mount mounds on north side of site visible from Military Rd. Army Air-Defense Command Post (AADCP) SF-90DC was established at Mill Valley AFS, CA in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions. Upgraded to above-ground Nike-Hercules and re-designated HM-03. Mostly intact. The roof of the magazines make up the Upper Field of the dog park. Today, most buildings had recently been demolished. Each site with a US Custodial Team had an on-site load of 10 nuclear warheads ready to be launched at very short notice. Private ownership, electrical service, buildings and radar towers standing. After its closure by the Army, on 25 Sep 1975 the control site property was designated the Coventry ANG Station, Air National Guard. Private Ownership. Now obliterated, although largely intact. Anchorage; drug & alcohol rehab center. Another 60 spare W31's had been kept in permanent storage at grid 4528'46"N 1135'57"E Longare. Used primarily as a junkyard. The Minuteman III has an inertial navigation guidance system that is entirely internal. Other bases were located at Fort Sheridan, Porter, Indiana, even in the middle of Jackson Park. Magazines badly deteriorated, some used as parking lot. From the mid-1960s until the early 1990s there were 1,000 Minuteman Silos and 100 corresponding Launch Control Facilities for command and control. Part of Town of Westhaven, Parks and Recreation Department "Nike State Park". Posted by: BruceS. Especially to the East of them which is the direction of prevailing winds. Many buildings standing, some razed. A monument to the site stands near the entrance to the recreation area. in Nike Missile Sites. W-13DC was the first Missile-Master DC to become operational. Private owner, construction use. Illinois. Appears magazines were removed and filled in with dirt. The missiles were decommissioned in 1974 as the Cold War came to an end, but remnants remain all around the country to this day. The old missile site is clearly visible with satellite imagery, including the three silos. Many foundations remain with broken concrete spread around area, roads in deteriorating condition. FDS. Obliterated. mountain ranges, similar to looking at a relief map. What Happened to Nike Missile Sites Around Chicago? There was a multiplicity of reasons that Minuteman's were sited in the Great Plains region. 1) Distance - The shortest distance to the Soviet Union - the United States main opponent during the Cold War - was over the North Pole. FDS, Abandoned and overgrown. After being closed in 1961, the lease for this former Nike IFC site was transferred to the Air Force in 1965. Magazine launch doors removed; site appears to be filled in, with vegetation covering fill sites. Partially intact. Obliterated, Cougar Mountain Regional Wildlife Park, Partially Intact, King County Sheriff's Department, Intact, Maple Valley Christian School, South King County Activity Center (shared launch with S-33), Intact, USAR Center, 104th Division, Training, Intact, Maple Valley Christian School, South King County Activity Center (shared launch with S-32), Partially Intact. It was inactivated on 1 Oct 1980, declared excess on 15 Dec 1980, then reactivated on 12 May 1981 and remained in use until the closure of Loring Air Force Base in 1995. Many were already on Army National Guard bases who continued to use the property. Fenced. Some military buildings in use, new buildings erected over magazine. Concrete slabs and some wooden curb stops remain, but all buildings have been removed. WTTW News Explains: Why Are Chicago Elections Nonpartisan? Redeveloped into Industrial Area. The Griggs House featured at the end of the movie, 'The Blair Witch Project' was located immediately behind the site, but has since been torn down. The AADCP inactivated in June 1974. The Full Screen control in the upper righthand corner of the Google Maps display expands the display to cover the entire computer screen. Their defending area was the industrial Ruhr area. The AADCP was inactivated in Sep 1969. Pads have been removed, with just disturbed earth and a cleared area where they were. Manning was by D/54th (11/55-9/58), D/4/1st (9/58-9/59) and MDArNG D/1/70th (9/59-12/62). Mapping the Missile Fields (U.S. National Park Service) Buildings standing and in use. Part of the IFC has been redeveloped into unorganized sports facility. Perimeter fencing is intact and sturdy. Obliterated, Horizon Heights Park and grass runway airfield. Redeveloped into shopping center. Magazines visible, earth grading equipment moving dirt around area. FDS. The administrative, housing, and launch complex area was located just west of South Lake Shore Drive, between the 59th St Harbor and Hayes Dr. becomes S. State Line Rd. 2023 Atlas Obscura. Private ownership. Figure4shows an underground launch control center. Well-preserved in private ownership. On 1 May 1961 PH-64DC was integrated with the USAF Air Defense Command/NORAD Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense radar network as Site RP-63/Z-63 Nike operations were inactivated on 30 Sep 1966. FDS. Currently a paintball site under the name Blast Camp; site is in the middle of farm fields. Obliterated, paved over for tractor trailer parking lot. Location: Illinois, United States. Nike Carlton: 3B/20A/12L-A Newport: 3B/18H, 30A/12L-UA, FDS Derelict, but partially intact. Launch "pits" used for reservoirs for the waste treatment plant. A section of the launch area is used by the CAANG, 261st Combat Communication Squadron. Site is across Industrial Highway from former launch site. In use by state highway department and is currently covered by a bike track, a Hamburg Town Park, and Bulk Storage. FDS. Nike Missile Sites | National Archives The first thing that makes this particular route interesting is the still active missile silos that dot the highway from Kimball to the Colorado border. The Delta-09 silo and Delta-01 launch control facility are preserved as a part of Minuteman Missile National Historic Site and may be viewed in their historic state. The logistics train was airlifting by US CH-47's within 6 hrs after receipt of a coded message. Almost completely intact, Now Criminal Justice Institute, and Bossier Parish School Board. Most touch screen devices will zoom by Now a sports complex. The Cost of U.S. Nuclear Forces: From BCA to Bow Wave and Beyond, Fact Sheet: Ballistic vs. Cruise Missiles. The leftovers were offered to private individuals. The MAF's are also a target. Launch site now the parking lot for the Children's Theatre of Annapolis and athletic fields. IFC buildings are being reused in reasonable condition. You can scroll and No evidence of IFC site. C-44 Hegewisch/Wolf Lake. Launch site abandoned, appears to be above-ground site with launchers located within berms. Buildings removed; foundations and radar tower concrete bases remain. Evidence of IFC structures on hill behind buildings. Obliterated, FDS, vacant lot just west of LAX runway 6R, Nike launch facilities obliterated. "Missile Base Road". Redeveloped into USAR Center. Navy amphibious training site. High-end housing development, nothing remains. Now LSU School of Medicine, almost all buildings were torn down with little evidence of IFC. Appears to be a large water tower built on site. Its new role was meant to be a coordination center for civil defense in the event of attack, but it ended up being used as storage. Initially the U.S. used Nike Ajax missiles. King Salmon Long Range Radar Site is still in use. The missile silo is considered one of the best-preserved missile silos in the US, according to Business Insider. Site cleared and redeveloped on top of ridge. Nike launch facilities obliterated by construction. Redeveloped into high-end single-family housing. [citation needed]. Sports Complex, some old military buildings still in use. Were intercontinental ballistic missiles ever housed or siloed at Montrose Harbor? Launch site buildings bulldozed, dumped into the magazines, magazines sealed shut, soiled over & the whole area re-graded in the early 1970s to make it look like a natural area again, and they did a very thorough job. Figure 6 shows satellite views of a normally unattended silo (left) and one undergoing maintenance (right). Upgraded to above-ground Nike-Hercules and re-designated HM-66. WTTW News Explains: How Did Chicago Get Its Shape? Intact, Department of Energy, facilities used as auxiliary research labs under Pacific Northwest National Laboratories oversight, currently scheduled for demolition. This was a very compact facility. On Bellows AFS, Twin Nike-Hercules launch underground facilities thoroughly overgrown with vegetation, abandoned. Very deteriorated. Some buildings remain in use, most razed along with radar towers. Radar towers are almost invisible; access to any of the buildings is nearly impassable. U.S. Army Air Defense Command operated the sites with Regular Army units (possibly from 562nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment) from 1960 until 1966. Site appears unused. Private ownership, redeveloped into single-family housing. One small IFC building remains. No evidence of IRC except some disturbed land where structures once were. Two radar towers remain on private property owned by a landscaping company. It is also owned by the Michigan DNR. During the Cold War there were an additional 500 silo's for a total of about 1,000, which were in South Dakota, Missouri, and North Dakota. No remnants remain except some small broken chunks of concrete. The site was equipped with the AN/GSG-5(V) BIRDIE solid-state computer system. Nothing remains of the IFC except the MTR and TTR towers. FDS. Launch structures completely removed except for some fences and a road and other infrastructure built for the missile site, Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Parks and Recreations District. Check it out: For more like this, check out these 10 state parks in Illinois that are totally splendid. L-58's housing area was taken over by the Air Force after the IFC was closed by the Army, and was redesignated as Loring Family Housing Annex #2. Berms still quite visible under vegetation. Road back to launch site from IFC in good shape. Intact, Abilene Independent School District, in good shape. Originally HM-65, redesignated HM-66. FDS. Partially Intact, East Ramapo School District. . Private property, with locked fence access. Barracks building in use, several radar towers still standing. You can choose to turn Labels on or off. Dillingham Airport, Above-ground Nike-Hercules launch facilities overgrown with vegetation, no buildings remain abandoned. This Cold Warera fallout shelter was actually a storage facility for the nation's emergency currency. Residential housing built in place. Old access road from the back of the site. Thank you! 374132N 1222652W / 37.69222N 122.44778W / 37.69222; -122.44778 (SF-59-CS). Launch site re-developed into the headquarters building for the Addison Park District; the only remains are the existing fenceline as well as a van pad located to the north of the complex. Outline of fence evident in aerial photography. (WTTW Archive). Redeveloped into Immanuel Lutheran Church and a multi-story light office building. No evidence of former IFC site. Largely intact and listed on the. It operated from 1960 until 1968. The Integrated Firing Control Site buildings & radars (formerly located at the end of Hutschenreuter Road in Fork were removed sometime in the early 1980s, and the property is now in private hands. Constructed during the Cuban Missile Crisis [October 1962]. Launch site in good condition. Above ground magazines protected by berms. Guard shack still visible, launcher site clearly visible, and administrative buildings still in use. McGregor Guided Missile Range, New Mexico. State of Rhode Island, State Police Academy and Training Center, buildings in use; magazines visible. Still behind locked gate and fenced. Township of Lumberton. City of SeaTac WA Parks Dept. A few military buildings still in use, new construction. Obliterated, City of Detroit. Purchased by. USAR Center. No sign of IFC. The Formerly Used Defense Sites (FDS) program processed many former sites and then transferred them out of Defense Department control.[7]. FDS. IFC Redeveloped into a public park called Nike Park, in the middle of a much larger industrial park. See Our Inventory. Launch doors are probably sealed shut but visible along with Nike concrete launching pads. No evidence of radar towers. Buildings were torn down. It has a maximum range of 8,700 miles and a maximum speed of Mach 23 (17,500 mph). Today, partially Intact, Private ownership. Missile launch areas now abandoned and overgrown. Please share your experiences and photos with us below in the comments.