Missile Silos and Facilities of Colorado

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), there are five former Atlas E intercontinental ballistic missile sites in Colorado. These sites are scattered across the northern plains in Weld and Larimer counties. In addition, there are six Titan I intercontinental ballistic missiles silos.

Titan I missile emerges from its silo at Vandenberg in 1960. The entire launch sequence took about 15 minutes.Photo byUnited States Air Force, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Atlas E Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Sites

In 1965, the Atlas E intercontinental ballistic missile sites were decommissioned in Colorado, and the missiles removed in 1965. The facilities were sold to public and private owners. Two of the sites are used for commercial purposes (Atlas 11 and 13), one (Atlas 9) is being converted into a residence, another (Atlas 10) is covered with soil and is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, and one (Atlas 12) has become the Weld County Missile Park (See below) and is also used for Weld County storage. The remaining (Atlas 9, 10 and 13) have been fully investigated and cleaned up.

The investigations and cleanup of the Atlas sites fall under the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Program. The CDPHE provide regulatory oversight of the FUDS programs and is assisted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local governments.

Missile Site Park, outside of Greeley. This was Atlas 12.Photo byColorado Martini

Missile Site Park

At Missile Site Park outside of Greeley, was the site of Atlas 12 and was constructed in 1961 (see video below). The Francis E. Warren Air Force Base was in command of this missile site. This particular missile site was deactivated in 1965 and was turned over to Weld County. You can visit the site and have a picnic! Tours inside the buried facility are no longer provided. Video below visits the park and a local WWII POW Camp.

Directions

From I-25, proceed east on Hwy 34 towards Greeley, taking the Hwy 34-Business bypass / W. 10th St. Turn left (north) onto the 257 Spur. Turn right (north) onto Missile Park Rd and proceed .6 miles north until you reach Missile Site Park on the west side of the road.

Ongoing environmental investigations

Environmental investigations include sampling and analysis of soil, groundwater, domestic well water, and water and air in the complexes.

Some of the Atlas sites left behind groundwater and soil contamination due to the activity that occurring during the Department of Defense activity. Most of the site clean-ups were completed in the early 2000’s.

• A list of clean-ups can be found on the CDPHE website
• Documents related to the environmental investigations and cleanup plans at the Atlas sites can be found at the following locations: CDPHE records review

Three Titan I missiles on alert at Watkins, Colorado about 1962Photo byUnited States Air Force, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Titan missile complexes

The 98 foot long Titan I was one of the first strategic, intercontinental ballistic missiles developed by the United States. The two-stage missile was fueled by a type of kerosene called RP-1 fuel and liquid oxygen. The Titan I was designed to carry nuclear warheads. The six Colorado Titan I silo locations are as follows:

• Four (1A, 1B, 1C and 2A) are located on the Former Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range east of Aurora.
• One (2B) is located north of Deer Trail.
• One (2C) is located south of Elizabeth.

​In 1965, the complexes were decommissioned, and the missiles removed. Public and private owners later acquired the land and complexes.

725th Strategic Missile Squadron - Titan I Colorado Missile Sites.Photo byBwmoll3, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Soil contamination from petroleum chemicals and/or from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), were found at some Titan I sites. Groundwater contamination from cleaning solvents, such as perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), had also been found at some sites.

Titan I missiles were armed with plutonium-based nuclear warheads. But no radioactive contamination was found at the sites. More information about the environmental studies can be found at the links below:

• https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hm/titan-1-missile-complexes
• https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hm/records-review

Did you know Colorado had so many of these missile facilities? Let us know in the comments.

724^th and 725^th Strategic Missile Squadrons

The 724^th and 725^th Strategic Missile Squadron were Air Force units at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado. They were inactivated on 25 June 1965. The squadrons was activated as missile units in 1961, when they assumed the assets of another squadron.

The squadrons were deployed in a "3x3" configuration, which meant their nine missiles were divided into three sites. Each had three Titan I intercontinental ballistic missiles. The two squadron missile sites were:

• 724-A, 8 miles SSW of Watkins, Colorado 39°38′55″N 104°41′27″W
• 724-B, 10 miles SSW of Watkins, Colorado39°36′17″N 104°34′50″W
• 724-C, 8 miles SE of Watkins, Colorado 39°39′57″N 104°29′38″W

On 19 November 1964, the Defense Secretary announced the phase-out of the remaining first-generation SM-65 Atlas and Titan I missiles by the end of June 1965. Consequently, the Titan Is began to be removed from alert status on 17 February 1965. The Air Force subsequently inactivated the squadrons that following June.

Site Visitors and For Sale

There are many decommissioned sites all over the country you can legally visit and participate in a tour. But many are abandoned and very dangerous to enter. Just recently in Colorado, an 18-year-old teen was rescued after falling 30 feet into an abandoned missile silo north of Deer Trail. The young man was airlifted to a local hospital with serious injuries. He also received a summons for 3rd-degree criminal trespass. Possible charges from the Sheriff Department are pending.

There are also many of these complexes for sale. Here is a site that lists some for sale right now: Silo World Network.

Would you ever consider buying one of these facilities and why? Let us know in the comments.

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References

• https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hm/atlas-missile-sites#:~:text=There%20are%20five%20former%20Atlas,to%20public%20and%20private%20owners
• https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hm/titan-1-missile-complexes
• https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/there-are-a-lot-more-decommissioned-icbm-sites-in-colorado-than-you-knew-about
• http://www.siloworld.net/SITES%20FOR%20SALE/SitesForSale.htm
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HGM-25A_Titan_I
• Colorado: 724th Strategic Missile Squadron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/724th_Strategic_Missile_Squadron
• Colorado: 725th Strategic Missile Squadron: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/725th_Strategic_Missile_Squadron
• Missile Park: https://poudreheritage.org/locations/missile-site-park/