Fargo, ND

This week, I was challenged to share a photo with an unusual point of view. Looking through my collection of photos, I didn’t really feel like using anything I saw. Besides, a nice day led me outside. Not too hot, and cloud cover keeping the sun at bay. I proceeded to look for a likely subject.

Driving by the Fargo Air Museum, I noticed the parking lot exhibit, a relic of the cold war. A photo of the business end of a Minuteman missile is certainly unusual. If it were armed and ready to deploy, we would be looking up the center of a launch tube from several stories underground.

This specimen is a Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile. By 1965, these missiles were found throughout North and South Dakota and other plains states. With a range of 5,500 nautical miles and a nuclear payload, the Minuteman II packed more explosive power than all the bombs and shells expended by both sides in World War II.

After being removed from service, this missile was originally on display at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota. Consisting of 33 tons of real and replica parts, this piece was refurbished and mounted by Warren and Irene Diederich and gifted to the Fargo Air Museum.

The information for this post was mostly derived from an informational plaque mounted nearby the display.

Weekly Photo Challenge

John Steiner