South Dakota and Cold War Practices

When Eisenhower described the military-industrial complex, he described a system in which military and defense spending is a focus as the military would drive the industry. This can be seen in the article as it says, “Echoing the national narrative of base closing and deactivations, the loss of military installations portended economic adjustment” (Heefner 10). This represents part of Eishower’s warning because the military and defense  industry can be damaging to other areas if it’s too reliant on one another. Another criticism of the MIC is that it can be wasteful. Again, we see how that was at play with silos in South Dakota. After the missiles were removed, there were concerns about what to do about the farmland. The missles promised economic growth west river, but even when the missiles were placed, farmers and ranchers wondered why they had to be placed within the boundaries of viable land. 

I think that the silo was preserved because of the National Park Services overall mission. The mission states that the park service will “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” The silos represent a period in American history. From the silos, we better understand the relationship between military and community during the Cold War Era. The lack of push back from residents demonstrates that the citizenry viewed this as a necessary step in promoting and protecting national interest. Furthermore, the article states, “… Minuteman Missile NHS is not principally the story of American vigilance and victory, but more the story of the technologies that made that victory possible” (23). Therefore, the historic nature of the site is because it educates the public on what types of technologies were present and how those technologies went into cultivating a system of defense and watchfulness.