The Ellsworth Heritage Foundation was founded as a result of a United States Air Force program began in 1982 to establish museums at various bases around the country.

[8][9] In 1994, a Minuteman II missile silo trainer located on Ellsworth Air Force Base was added to the museum inventory.

[16] In 2019, the museum partnered with the Commemorative Air Force to fly a B-25 across the state to recognize the two South Dakotans who participated in the Doolittle Raid.

[18] The museum has four interior galleries named for Frank Hunter, Duke Corning, Clyde Ice, and Joe Foss.

[citation needed] A number of training aids, such as F-106 and B-1B cockpits, an F-16 simulator, and a Minuteman Crew Mission Procedures Trainer are on display.