South Dakota during the Cold War period is an excellent example of what President Eisenhower dubbed the “military-industrial complex”. What is the military-industrial complex? Simply put this is the relationship between defense companies/contractors and the government. Used by Eisenhower as warning against the influence of outside forces on the process of government. During this period the interstate was used for the normal road trip activities such as the Corn Palace in Mitchell (big fan) but also allows for the transportation of supplies for the war effort. Areas along the interstate and the small communities surrounding the interstate would have in theory benefited by the myriads of military instillations. However, these jobs and contracts were not given to the locals but instead to companies already contracted with the government. With the Minuteman Missiles and them being dismantled that is a perfect example. When the government decided to dismantle the silos and facilities the locals pleaded with the government to let them be in charge of it, but instead a company out of Colorado Springs who already had contracts with the federal government. This is exactly the kind of thing that Eisenhower warned about with the outside companies hurting local communities and their ability to make decisions for themselves.
Part of what the communities wanted and what was part of the mandate of the teardown was preserving the history of the period. As the article mentions what is often lost in the general discourse surrounding the Cold War is the local stories or even small subplots of the era. Lots of the discussion is about the macro-level issues such as the space race and nuclear Armageddon and with that, the stories of small towns in the heartland can get lost. This is also why the National Parks Service viewed the information and preservation of these sites as important. The need to preserve these stories and the sense of “duty” that was held by the communities were important to putting faces to the story of the Cold War.
Will Wright 
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your article, as it made many unique points from the locals’ perspective concerning the “military-industrial complex.” You pointed out how the locals just wanted a part of the mandate in the teardown of the complex, which reminded me of how locals wanted to construct a water supply tank in one of the silos, but the government did not permit them. The outside sourcing of companies to tear down the silos was a clear indication of the military-industrial complex in effect to me as well.
As you point out, the National Parks Service’s restoration reminds us of the duty carried out by small townspeople. Still, it also poignantly reminds us that while the Cold War might be over, the tools for another to start are still out there.
Thank you for the post!
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