Trip Report: North in November
First published in 2013. Reformatted 2025. I really don't recommend visiting the far northeast portion of North Dakota in late November, but I'm sure glad I did. The General Services Administration was auctioning the main complex and the four remote sites that make up the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex. They were offering tours to prospective buyers. I learned on a Tuesday that the next tour was a week away--so I had just a few days to plan this adventure before I started driving! Just a reminder PIN means Permanent Installation Number and ILC means Installation Location Code; I include these for Air Force properties when I know them.Sunday, 25 November 2012
I made an early start from Denver, driving northeast into South Dakota. Pierre Army Air Field SD, 44-22-55, 100-17-10. This is now Pierre Regional Airport (PIR). During WWII the Pierre airport was improved under the Development of Landing Areas for National Defense (DLAND) program. This airfield served 2AF during the war, first under Rapid City AAFld then under Casper AAFld.Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Building
Building
Building
Building
Foundation
Foundation
Foundation I stayed overnight in Pierre, South Dakota. This was the long day of the trip, at 560 miles.
Monday, 26 November 2012
From Pierre, I drove north. Grand Forks AF Missile Site A-07 ND, PIN 9463, ILC JFSW. This Minuteman launch facility was activated 22 June 1966. In about 1974, it was upgraded to Minuteman III. It was inactivated 28 August 1996.General view
Gate Grand Forks AF Missile Site A-06 ND, PIN 9568, ILC JFSV. This Minuteman launch facility was activated 22 June 1966. In about 1974, it was upgraded to Minuteman III. It was inactivated 12 July 1996.
General view
Gate Grand Forks AF Missile Site D-32 ND, PIN 9481, ILC JFUA. This Minuteman launch facility was activated 3 June 1966. In about 1974, it was upgraded to Minuteman III. It was inactivated 29 April 1996.
General view
Gate Grand Forks AF Missile Site D-31 ND, PIN 9480, ILC JFTZ. This Minuteman launch facility was activated 3 June 1966. In about 1974, it was upgraded to Minuteman III. It was inactivated 19 June 1996.
General view
General view with sign
Sign close-up I arrived at my lodging in Langdon, North Dakota. This day covered 508 miles, making the inbound total 1,068 miles.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
The drive south from the hotel to the trip's main attraction was a short one. The various properties are together called the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex (SRMSC). The hub of the operation was the Missile Site Radar (MSR) site. The SRMSC also included the Perimeter Acquisition Radar (PAR) site, still in use by the USAF as Cavalier AFS, and four remote Sprint launch sites. There was also a network of wells and water booster stations. The SRMSC reached initial operational capability in April 1975, and attained full operational status on 1 October 1975. The very next day, Congress voted to deactivate the system. Operations terminated in November 1975. For detailed information I highly recommend Dave Novak's excellent web site. My thanks to Dave for helping me make sense of my photos! SRMSC Missile Site Radar (MSR) Site, Army Installation Code 38522. This was the main site of the SRMSC. In addition to housing the large concrete radar structure, both Spartan and Sprint missiles were emplaced in launchers on this property. The main structure is divided into four parts, the earth-covered Missile Site Control Building (MSCB), the Missile Site Radar (MSR) (two above-ground levels of the MSCB), the earth-covered Missile Site Power Plant (MSPP), and the Personnel, Equipment, and Utility Tunnel (PEUT) that connected them. This installation also had housing, administration, maintenance, and recreational facilities. The property has languished for decades under Army control, with the idea that it might be pressed back into service. Finally, about ten years ago, the Army declared it surplus and proceeded through the disposal process. I was fortunate to get a tour from the General Services Administration, the agency that auctioned the property for sale. My thanks to our tour guide Jerry for showing us the property.General view
General view
General view
General view
Limited Area Sentry Station (LASS)
LASS
LASS
LASS
LASS interior
LASS interior
LASS interior
LASS interior
Missile Site Power Plant (MSPP) showing air intake and exhaust stacks
Missile Site Radar (MSR) "turret" showing phased array element and smaller Q Channel antenna to right
Heat sink
MSR "turret" showing emergency escape door on level 3
MSR "turret" showing emergency escape door on level 3
MSR "turret" showing nozzles to spray deicing fluid on radar array
MSR "turret"
Missile Site Control Building (MSCB) entrance tunnel with non-historic overhead door
MSCB interior
PEUT interior, looking down the entrance tunnel
MSCB level 1 corridor viewed from the PEUT
PEUT interior
MSCB level 1 corridor viewed from the PEUT
MSPP level 1 corridor, looking past PEUT (open ceiling) then MSCB level 1 corridor
MSPP level 1 main corridor
MSPP level 1, probably one of the prime mover modules
MSCB interior
MSPP level 1 main corridor
MSCB interior, level 1 main corridor
MSCB interior
MSCB interior
MSCB interior
MSCB interior
MSCB interior
MSCB interior
MSCB interior
MSR interior, level 3
MSR interior, level 3
MSR interior, level 3
MSR interior, level 3
MSCB interior
MSCB entrance with non-historic door
MSCB entrance
MSCB entrance
Universal Missile Building (UMB) loading dock
UMB, entrance to explosives service magazine
UMB
Warhead Handling Building (WHB)
Exclusion Area Sentry Station (EASS)
EASS
EASS
Sprint missile launch cells
Sprint missile launch cells
Sprint missile launch cells
Sprint missile Launch Area Antenna and maintenance platform
Spartan missile launch cell showing exhaust duct cover left, launch chamber duct cover right, and Launch Area Antenna (vertical pipe)
Spartan missile launch cells
Spartan missile launch cells
Spartan missile launch cells
Spartan missile launch cells
WHB and EASS
Missile launch cells with MSR in bacground
MSR and UMB
MSR/MSCB and MSPP
UMB left, EASS center, WHB right
LASS and Industrial building
Industrial building
Industrial building
Industrial building interior
Pump house and covered water storage reservoir
Pump house
Administration building
Administration building
Administration building
Commercial telephone company building
Community center
Community center
Community center interior
Community center interior
Community center interior
Community center interior
Community center interior
Community center interior
Community center interior
Community center interior
Community center interior
Chapel
Chapel
Chapel
Chapel interior
Chapel interior
Gymnasium interior SRMSC Remote Sprint Launcher (RSL) Site No. 2 ND, Army Installation Code 38523. Due to recent snow and lack of cleared roads, we could only visit two of the four remote sites. This one had 12 Sprint missile silos.
Remote Launch Operations Building (RLOB) showing exhaust stack left, air intake stack center, entry tunnel right
General view of site showing sign
Security fence showing tie-down cabling
Security fence showing tie-down cabling
Limited Area Sentry Station (LASS) and gate
LASS and gate
LASS and gate
LASS viewed from top of RLOB, with entrance tunnel in foreground
RLOB
RLOB
RLOB
RLOB
RLOB interior
RLOB interior SRMSC Remote Sprint Launcher (RSL) Site No. 3 ND, Army Installation Code 38524. This one had 16 Sprint missile silos. This is the only RSL site with the Exclusion Area Sentry Station and security lighting intact.
General view from outer gate
Limited access area entrance
RLOB and Exclusion Area Sentry Station (EASS)
LASS
LASS
LASS
LASS
LASS
LASS
LASS interior
LASS interior
LASS interior
Security lighting
Security lighting
Vehicle sally port at site entrance
Exclusion area gate and EASS
Fences around exclusion area
EASS
EASS
EASS
EASS
EASS
Sprint missile launcher cells
Sprint missile launcher cells
Sprint missile launcher cells
Sprint missile launcher cells
Sprint missile launcher cells
RLOB
RLOB
RLOB
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior
RLOB interior, sloping entrance tunnel leading down to blast doors at start of main corridor I returned to Langdon for the night, after driving only 83 miles on this day.
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
From Langdon I worked my way southeast toward Grand Forks, surveying the SRMSC water system properties along the way. SRMSC Water Booster Station No. 1 ND. The SRMSC had three water booster stations, and I found two of them on the Oscar Zero trip a few years ago. Thanks to a map at the MSR Site, I was able to visit the third.General view
General view
Building
Building SRMSC Water Well No. 1 ND. A group of ten water wells fed the SRMSC. Thanks to the above-mentioned map, I was able to observe all ten.
General view
General view
Gate SRMSC Water Well No. 2 ND
General view
General view
Building
Building
Building
Fence SRMSC Water Well No. 3 ND
General view
General view SRMSC Water Well No. 4 ND
General view
General view SRMSC Water Well No. 5 ND. This one was being serviced, and maintenance trucks blocked the view of the building, so I didn't take any photographs. SRMSC Water Well No. 6 ND
General view SRMSC Water Well No. 7 ND
General view SRMSC Water Well No. 8 ND
General view SRMSC Water Well No. 9 ND
General view SRMSC Water Well No. 10 ND
General view Watertown Army Air Field SD, 44-54-55, 97-09-15. This is now Watertown Regional Airport (ATY). During WWII the Watertown airport was improved under the Development of Landing Areas for National Defense (DLAND) program. The airfield was built in 1942, and served until 1944 as a 2AF sub-base to Sioux City AAB.
Building
Building
Building Raymond Communications Site GWEN 664 SD, ILC TZWP. This Ground Wave Emergency Network relay node had the less-common 306-foot tower, and was also listed as Clark. It was activated in the mid 1980s, and was disposed of on 1 December 1999.
Tower
Tower
Equipment shelters This was another long day, 547 miles. I stopped in Mitchell, South Dakota, for the night.
Thursday, 29 November 2012
From Mitchell I drove west and southwest into Nebraska, after first checking out the local airport. Mitchell Army Air Field SD, 43-46-30, 98-02-25. This is now Mitchell Municipal Airport (MHE). During WWII the Mitchell airport was improved under the Development of Landing Areas for National Defense (DLAND) program. The airfield was built in 1942, and served 2AF until 1944 as a sub-base to Sioux City AAB.Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Elevated water storage tank
Elevated water storage tank detail
Elevated water storage tank detail
Elevated water storage tank detail Kearney Air Force Base NE, 40-43-30, 99-00-25. This is now Kearney Regional Airport (EAR). Constructed in 1942, Kearney AAFld served 2AF during WWII. After the war, it was briefly a Strategic Air Command base, wearing the Air Force Base designation from early 1948 until early 1950, when it stopped showing up in the installations directory.
Hangar
Hangar Atlanta Prisoner of War Camp NE. Planning began for this camp near Holdrege in June 1943, and construction was completed by November 1943. This POW camp had a capacity of 3,000 German prisoners. The concrete structure is a tower for an elevated water storage tank.
General view showing chimney, historical marker, and concrete tower
Concrete tower
Concrete tower
Chimney
Chimney
Historical marker My overnight stop was North Platte, Nebraska. Miles for this day were 478.
Friday, 30 November 2012
I aimed the car west for the 268 miles to Denver. This made the outbound leg 1,293 miles. The entire trip was 2,444 miles. Updated May 10, 2025If you like what you find here, please consider making a monetary contribution. Domain name registration, web hosting, and travel cost plenty. You won't find any ads here to annoy you.