With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Republicans want abandoned nuclear missile silo made historic site named for Reagan

BISMARCK, North Dakota -- Republicans in this northern state want to turn an abandoned nuclear missile silo into a tourist attraction named after former President Ronald Reagan.

Historic preservationists have been pushing the Legislature for $250,000 (€184,000) to acquire the site of the silo and a nearby launch center in east-central North Dakota.

The Air Force will demolish the site by year's end if the state does not want to take it over, said Merl Paaverud, superintendent of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

The state Senate passed a bill Thursday appropriating the money for what would be called the "Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Missile Silo Historic Site." The bill now goes to the House...

Paaverud believes the launch center near Cooperstown —- a surface building and a control center buried deep underground —- has the potential to attract tourists from around the country.
Read entire article at AP