Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is an American national historic site established in 1999 near Wall, South Dakota, to illustrate the history and significance of the Cold War, the nuclear arms race, and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development.

The site preserves the last intact Minuteman II ICBM system in the United States, in a disarmed and demilitarized status.

Not only does this permit visitors to see the missile, it enables Russian satellites to verify that the site is not operational, and hence in compliance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

The complex, one of six located in the central United States, was built as a deterrent to a nuclear first strike by the Soviet Union.

The Minutemen in this complex remained on alert for nearly 30 years until the wing was inactivated following the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) by President George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991.

The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site Boundary Modification Act (S. 459; 113th Congress) added about 29 acres (12 ha) of land to the park in 2013, tripling its size to include a visitor facility.