Here, between 1961 – 1965, an early generation intercontinental nuclear missile, Atlas E, was siloed and kept ready for launch. Now owned by Weld County, where the site is based, Missile Site Park offers a unique opportunity to tour a once active silo. As part of the 566th Strategic Missile Squadron out of Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, the single-use site was manned by five-men crews who worked 24-hour shifts. During their shift, the team was responsible for monitoring the missile status, and, if directed, initiating the entire launch sequence from opening the 18-inch thick door to raising the missile into launch position to fueling it – a process which took 15 minutes.
Visitors can see the missile maintenance room, the command control centers and living quarters, as well as learn from our guide how there is enough concrete in the facility to build a standard four-feet wide sidewalk from the site to Salt Lake City, Utah – 485 miles away!
The Atlas E was one of the United States’ first operational intercontinental ballistic missiles. The 82 foot-long missile was fuelled by kerosene (RP-1 fuel) and liquid oxygen, and was designed to carry a nuclear warhead. A version of the Atlas missile was also used to launch four Mercury astronauts, including John Glenn, into earth orbit.
Developed in the late 1950’s, the first Atlas E missiles became operational in late 1961. During the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962, the Atlas Es were readied for launch as a deterrent in the crisis.
The Atlas E had a short operational life, however, and was phased out by 1965. Each Atlas E missile site contained two underground structures: the missile launch and service building, and the launch operations building.
The launch building consists of a large underground storage area that stored one Atlas missile horizontally. The roof would be retracted and the missile would be elevated into a vertical position for launch. The operations building contained crew quarters, launch control facilities, and diesel power generators. A tunnel connected the buildings.
Complexes covered between 20 to 30 acres.
As per the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, there are five former Atlas E intercontinental ballistic missile sites around the state, four of which are in Weld County and can still be seen at the Missile Silo Park.
Located between Greeley, Windsor, and Loveland, the Missile Silo Park gives visitors an inside glimpse at these once state-of-the-art, now dark and eerie Cold War-era structures, plus jaw-dropping views of the surrounding landscape.