Delta-01 Cultural Landscape

Delta-01 compound from a distance, surrounded by ranch landscape seen from Interstate 90.

NPS / Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

During the Cold War, which lasted from the end of World War II to 1991, the development of the Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) represented U.S. advancement in the “arms race” - a competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union to achieve superior military capabilities. The Minuteman ICBMs used solid-fuel rocket engines, which, unlike liquid-fuel engines, provided the stability for near instantaneous deployment. The Air Force organized the construction of sites to contain the launch facilities (silos) and separate launch control centers. A single underground launch control center linked to 10 underground launch silos.

Launch Control Center, looking east.

NPS

During initial construction, the ICBM's range restricted locations of facilities to the northern part of the United States, closer to the Soviet Union. Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota was selected as the second wing of Minuteman Missile deployments. Groundbreaking for the launch facilities (silos) occurred near Bear Butte on September 11, 1961. Among Ellsworth’s first twenty launchers were the Delta-01 (launch control center) and Delta-09 (silo), located 10 miles apart and completed in November 1962. Both facilities remained in operation until 1991, coinciding with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Delta-01 and Delta-09 were exempt from demolishment following the end of the Cold War with the intention of converting them into museum facilities. In 1999, Congress authorized Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, and in 2002 the park was established following the transfer of the two Delta sites to the National Park Service.

Landscape Description

The Delta-01 Launch Control Facility cultural landscape occupies 6.40 acres in Jackson County, South Dakota. The facility includes the topside support structure, detached vehicle storage building, and underground launch control center. A security fence surrounds 1.85 acres of the landscape and contains the one-story, rectangular support structure and storage building. Historically, the support building likely appeared to be a ranch house to those driving on the nearby Interstate 90. The underground launch control center elevator is accessible from the support structure. The curving entry road to the support structure passes over a steel cattle guard through the security gate. Extant recreational features used by Air Force personnel at Delta-01 include a volleyball court, horseshoe court, and basketball hoop. Other mission-supporting features include a helicopter pad, sewage lagoon, and a code burner. The code burner served to dispose of one time codes.

Cattle guard at entrance drive.

NPS

An open mixed grass prairie including graminoids, forbs, and cacti shrubs defines a majority of the undeveloped landscape and surrounding rural area. The topography of the landscape, while mostly flat, slopes gradually down to the south. The expansive views across the landscape existed during the period of significance from 1963-1993 and contribute to the feeling of remoteness experienced by the missileers. The remoteness was important in the original site selection: civilian casualties could be reduced in the event of an accident or attack.

While both are part of Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, the missile silo (Delta-09) is its own cultural landscape separate from Delta-01. They were originally connected by underground blast-proof cables called the Hardened Intersite Cable System (HICS).

Historic Use

Delta-01 Launch Control Capsule under construction, ca.1962.

Library of Congress, Historic American Engineering Record (HAER SD-50-24)

At the end of World War II, the United States responded to Soviet Union expansion in Eastern Europe with a policy of containment and a commitment to developing more powerful weapons. Early missile designs—the Atlas and Titan—could be used over long ranges. However, their liquid-fuel was volatile and required a lengthy loading process for launching. With the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957 using liquid-fueled ICBM, the U.S. military's concern that the Soviet Union had superior ICBM capabilities increased. In response, the “Minuteman” missile program was authorized in 1958. The name referenced the Revolutionary War soldiers and their readiness to respond to a threat. The Minuteman missiles would use solid fuel, consist of three stages, and could be stored in underground silos.

In 1961, the first Minuteman missiles underwent testing. The design proved successful, and the Air Force began constructing facilities to house the missiles. It organized the Minuteman force into larger units, “wings,” each composed of three or four “squadrons.” A squadron was made up of five “flights,” each of which contained a single launch control center for ten unmanned launch facilities (silos). The Delta facilities were part of the 66th Strategic Missile Squadron of the 44th Missile Wing.

Launch Control Center vestibule blast door.

NPS

In 1961, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Ballistic Missile Construction Office, at the request of the Air Force, accepted construction bids for 44th Wing near Rapid City, South Dakota. Peter Kiewit Sons’ Company of Omaha won the bid with an estimate of $56,220,274. The Delta-01 Launch Control was completed on November 29, 1962 and cost $800,000. In 1963, the facility was turned over to Strategic Air Command. Because of the importance of the Minuteman program, the site underwent several upgrades over the years. In the mid-1960 to the early 1970s, a helicopter pad and a second sewage lagoon were added. Silos were retrofitted to accommodate Minuteman II missiles, which saw improved range and more flexible targeting. Exterior and interior work to the facilities occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, and crews informally added decorative paintings in the launch control facilities. Enlisted Air Force personnel stationed at Ellsworth Air Force base worked at the site. These included control room officers, security guards, a cook, facility manager, and maintenance staff.

Oblique aerial view of Delta-01 facing west during the period of significance, no date.

Library of Congress, Historic American Engineering Record ( HAER SD-50-A-1)

A shift in the U.S. Cold War strategy under the Kennedy administration involved the selective firing of missiles rather than a mass attack. However, Delta-01 was already in the construction phase when this change occurred. The Delta Flight Launch Complex is the only remaining formerly operational, intact example of the original Minuteman basing configuration, designed to implement the original Cold War policy of massive retaliation. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is the only museum in the United States that contains both a Launch Control Facility and Launch Facility of the Minuteman II Missile system.

Delta-01 and other Minuteman facilities remained active until the late 1980s when the Cold War came to an end. In 1991, to conform to agreements contained in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) Treaty, President George H.W. Bush started the process for destruction of Minuteman launch facilities. By 1996, all but one of the original 150 launch facilities were closed. Delta-01 and Delta-09 (the missile silo) remained intact with the purpose of becoming an interpretive museum facility. In 2004, following the installation of a security and fire suppression system and the development of safety procudres, the NPS began offering tours of the facilities.

Today, visitors can experience Delta-01 facility that remained operational for over forty years during the Cold War. The underground Launch Control Center is open to the public, through ranger guided tours which require advanced reservations. The cultural landscape is associated with the Cold War and also of distinctive construction designed to meet the needs of the U.S. military in the mid twentieth century.

The code burner was part of site operations during the period of significance.

NPS

Quick Facts

• Cultural Landscape Type: Historic Site
• National Register Significance Level: National
• National Register Significance Criteria: A, C
• Period of Significance: 1963-1993

Landscape Links

• The Missile Plains: Frontline of America's Cold War - Historic Resource Study
• National Register of Historic Places: Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
• Library of Congress: Ellsworth Air Force Base, Delta Flight, Launch Control Facility (Historic American Engineering Record)
• More about NPS Cultural Landscapes