A final look at the Minuteman Missile historic site

A look at the Minuteman Missile Museum and the history of the Cold War

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Continuing with our final episode of the Minuteman II missile series, we looked at the museum’s history and where it’s headed long term.

The Minuteman Missile Visitor Center sits directly off of the Interstate 90 and serves as an orientation point for the rest of the park. The center includes a theater, bookstore, exhibits and activities for kids that detail the history of the Delta-1 and Delta-9 sites as well as the Cold War.

“A project that they can do as part of their junior ranger program here where they can build a fall-out shelter. We’ve got cardboard bricks and things that look like sandbags that are actually full of shredded paper what have you. And I think people are mainly amazed that we can get as much information in this small a space without looking overly-crowded,” said park volunteer Jim Boensch.

Exhibits in the museum include bomb shelter basements, scale of destruction and “where are we now?” to name a few, and even include a rotating exhibit detailing the intricacies of manually opening the missile launcher door in the Delta-1 base. Boensch, who drives 156 miles a day to volunteer at the park, emphasized the importance of preserving what he lived through… and what we know as history.

“I don’t believe they have got time in the history books to cover anything really well. And the Cold War especially, I think, has gotten a short shrift. So, the folks that come in here, a lot of them weren’t even around during the Cold War and it gives them an idea maybe a little bit more of a feeling of why things happen like they do,” said Boensch.

Boensch also said he is amazed by the support the park receives each year and this support makes his volunteer work is worthwhile.

“I would never have believed it when I walked out of Delta-1 for the last time forty-five years ago that anybody would remember it or would really care. And so, it’s gratifying to see that people do still look at us as a valuable part of our nuclear deterrent.,” said Boensch.

If you are interested in learning more about the Minuteman Missile Historical Site, please click here.