Scott's USAF Installations Page

Trip Report: Small Town Sojourn

First published in 2009. Reformatted 2025.

This was a trip to see relatives in Glenwood, Iowa, over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Some people would make the drive from Denver in one day by sticking to the Interstate, but as you may know I'm not one to waste research opportunities! So I added a day on each end of the trip to allow some sightseeing. 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.

Tuesday, 24 November 2009

We departed Denver at 0530. The first stop of the day was McCook, Nebraska, about 270 miles away.

Atlanta Prisoner of War Camp NE. This one was a surprise--we just happened to see a sign on our way into Atlanta, and a historical marker on our way out of town. One brick chimney was visible in the distance, as was a concrete tower that originally held a water tank.
General view and historical marker
Historical marker
Chimney

We stopped for the night in Hastings, Nebraska, after covering 428 miles in 12.5 hours.

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

We made a leisurely 0730 departure, heading east.

Bruning Army Air Field NE. One hangar still stands at this WWII bomber training base, and the partially-collapsed remnants of two other hangars are visible. Also still standing are the concrete tower that formerly held a water storage tank, and a Norden bombsight storage vault.
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar
Hangar remains
Hangar remains
Hangar remains
Hangar remains
Hangar remains
Hangar remains
Tower that used to support a water storage tank
Norden bombsight storage vault
Norden bombsight storage vault
Norden bombsight storage vault
Norden bombsight storage vault
Oil and dope storage building
Oil and dope storage building
Oil and dope storage building, and hangar remains

We made it to Offutt Air Force Base in 9.5 hours, covering 323 miles. Offutt lodging would be "home base" for the next two days of family festivities. Friday night, we stayed in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Saturday, 28 November 2009

This was a "normal" 0600 departure. We headed north on the Interstate to Sioux City, before heading back into Nebraska.

Sioux City Air Force Station IA. Located on the property of the former army air base, this was direction center DC-22 in the SAGE system.
Direction Center DC-22 building

Sioux City Army Air Base IA, PIN 1474, ILC VSSB. Some remnants of the WWII airfield remain, as do several buildings from the 1950s Air Defense Command alert mission. Much of the airfield is still in active use by the Air National Guard including the Strobel & Salzman fighter alert hangar.
WWII hangar
Building
ADC fighter readiness shelter
ADC fighter readiness shelter
Both ADC fighter readiness shelters
ADC fuels building
ADC fuels building
ADC fuels building
Obsolete USAF sign
Elevated water storage tank
WWII chapel
WWII chapel
WWII chapel
WWII chapel
WWII chapel and housing area
Housing area

Ainsworth Comms Site GWEN 663 NE, ILC ACXN. The tower and equipment shelters are gone, but I found the concrete pads from the shelters, and the concrete base for the former 299-foot tower.
Equipment shelter pads
Equipment shelter pad area
Tower base area
Tower base area
Tower base
View from equipment shelter area to tower base area

North Platte, Nebraska, was our stop for the night. We covered 477 miles in 11.0 hours.

Sunday, 29 November 2009

We hit the road at 0800, heading west.

Sioux Army Depot NE. This ammunition storage depot was built during WWII and closed in 1967. I was pleased to find the first examples I have seen of the Corbetta "beehive" ammunition storage magazine. The Corbetta was a wartime departure from the traditional vaulted arch "igloo" storage magazine, used because its round design required less concrete for the equivalent amount of storage.
General view
General view
Fire station
Fire station
Historical marker
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Warehouse
Warehouse
Warehouse
Warehouse
Warehouse
Warehouse
Railroad crane
Railroad crane
Power plant
Power plant
Elevated water storage tank
Corbetta magazine
Corbetta magazine
Corbetta magazine
Corbetta magazine
Corbetta magazine
Corbetta magazine
Corbetta magazine entryway
Corbetta magazine ventilator
Corbetta magazines
Corbetta magazines
Corbetta magazines
Corbetta magazines
Corbetta magazines
Corbetta magazine interior
Corbetta magazine interior
Corbetta magazine interior
Corbetta magazine interior
Corbetta magazine interior
Corbetta magazine interior
Corbetta magazine interior
Corbetta magazine interior
Personnel shelter
Personnel shelter
Personnel shelter
Personnel shelter interior
Personnel shelter interior
Corbetta magazines and personnel shelters
Corbetta magazines and personnel shelters
Corbetta magazines and personnel shelters

Four small parcels of the depot were transferred to the USAF in 1962 for a Minuteman Launch Control Facility and three Minuteman Launch Facilities, which are still active. I saw but didn't photograph Francis E. Warren AF Missile Site G-01 NE and Francis E. Warren AF Missile Site G-02 NE.

We made it back to my place in 7.5 hours, driving 360 miles. Total mileage for the trip was 1,705 (includes 117 miles in the Offutt AFB vicinity).

Updated April 20, 2025

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