Saint Bonifacius in Hennepin County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
St. Bonifacius: A Cold War Battlefront
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2022
1. St. Bonifacius: A Cold War Battlefront Marker
The installation — known as a "battery" — would join three others proposed to protect the Twin Cities at Bethel and Farmington, Minnesota, and Roberts, Wisconsin. All would be overseen by a headquarters command post at Fort Snelling. Some area residents were concerned about accidental explosions, but Army Colonel Leslie Staub claimed the base would be no more dangerous than a "well-operated filling station."
By October 1957, government officials were negotiating to purchase land from several farmers between Watertown and St. Bonifacius, and by July 1958 the facility was under construction. The control area was ready in August 1959 and the missile launch area in October.
Missile Base Battery C of the Third Missile Battalion of the 68th Artillery operated the St. Bonifacius battery after training at the Army guided missiles center at Fort Bliss, Texas. Almost half of the unit's 115 officers and enlisted men were married, and some brought families for their three-year tour of duty. Only one-third were housed on site; the rest lived in the community. The Waconia Patriot reported in 1963 that the base "contributes to the economy of the area with a $3,500 monthly purchase of food for personnel, providing the area with an approximate payroll of $20,000 each month, leasing of 23 homes in the area and a rental of 30 homes
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The battery operated without incident, never firing a missile. When strategic interests changed in 1971, it was shut down along with the three other Twin Cities batteries and 23 Nike-Hercules installations in 15 states.
Fire Control Area
Radar and missile controls were at this base, located about one mile from where the missiles were launched to avoid damage from falling booster rockets. The base also held barracks, a mess hall, and administrative offices. The elevated site provided clear reception for radar antennas.
Launching Area
The launching area was built from standardized plans developed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Missiles were stored horizontally on racks in a concrete magazine 5 stories below ground, 50 yards wide, and 200 yards long, divided into three sections. Each section had an elevator to carry missiles to the surface, where they could be moved to launchers permanently installed above ground. The launching area was surrounded by a buffer of farmland. The Army did not camouflage the batteries, assuming that the Soviets would aim directly at cities and industrial complexes.
This project has been
2. Marker detail: “Nike Guided Missile Base May Be Located near Watertown”
Administered by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Erected 2010 by St. Bonifacius Historical Society; and City of St. Bonifacius.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Industry & Commerce • War, Cold. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1959.
Location. 44° 54.35′ N, 93° 44.863′ W. Marker is in Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota, in Hennepin County. Marker can be reached from Wildwood Avenue just west of Main Street (County Road 92), on the right when traveling west. Marker is located near the southeast corner of Missile Park, on the west side of the Nike Hercules Missile exhibit. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8822 Wildwood Avenue, Saint Bonifacius MN 55375, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Nike Missiles: Dedicated to Defense (here, next to this marker); In Memory of All American Veterans (here, next to this marker); "Golden Buckle of the Dairy Belt" (approx. 2.1 miles away); Clearing the Land, Making a Home (approx. 2.1 miles away); Grimm Farm Historic Site (approx. 2.1 miles away); Commemorating Wendelin Grimm
3. Marker detail: Capt. Harlan Bynell
The Picture magazine in the Minneapolis Tribune on April 15, 1962, highlighted the local Nike batteries: "Capt. Harlan Bynell, 28-year-old Minneapolis native, has his first command at the missile site near St. Bonifacius. A West Point graduate, Bynell attended Roosevelt High School, finds assignment to a base near his home town gratifying, as does his Minneapolis-born wife."
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . St. Boni Nike-Hercules Missile Project.
(Submitted on November 23, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)St. Bonifacius is the only town in Minnesota with a real Nike-Hercules missile in its park, commemorating the nearby missile base that stood from 1959 to 1974. This is a rare display; as only 15-20 missiles still exist from the thousands placed around 20 U.S. cities during the Cold War. The project designed and manufactured two outdoor interpretive panels to tell the story of this missile and missile base within the larger context of the Cold War, a chapter in U.S. History increasingly invisible to younger people. The effort grew out of a conversation about the creation of a memorial to all local soldiers from all U.S. conflicts by local civic and veterans groups.
4. Marker detail: Fire Control Area
The St. Bonifacius facility "has three radar units crowning its highest hill. One is a so-called 'acquisition radar.' This unit resembles a large 'T' and the crossbar revolves constantly as it scans the sky for a target… The other two radar units… are protected by identical plastic balls and flank the acquisition unit. In one sphere is the target tracking radar and in the other missile tracing radar."
Angelo Cohn, "Nike Weapons Now on Duty at Four Twin Cities Bases," Minneapolis Star, January 7, 1960
5. Marker detail: Launching Area
Drawing adapted from Army MMS Subcourse No. 151: Nike Missile and test equipment.
"The launching area includes an assembly building where the missiles, which come in huge canisters, and their rocket boosters are put together; a small ready room for the crews; a revetted area where the missiles get their fuel and warheads, and the launcher pits."
6. Marker detail: Flight of the Nike-Hercules
1 • The North American Air Defense Command identifies an enemy bomber flying over Canada.
2 • If the bomber is not destroyed by the time it reaches Minnesota, it is tracked by the Army Air Defense Commands at Duluth and Fort Snelling, as well as by acquisition radar (ACQ) at St. Bonifacius.
3 • Target-tracking radar (TTR) at the St. Bonifacius battery follows the bomber's flight.
4 • The 15-minute countdown to the missile's firing begins. A missile is loaded into a hydraulic elevator, raised out of the underground storage area, and moved into a nearly vertical position by a launcher.
5 • The missile is fired with the aid of a booster rocket. It travels about a mile in less than four seconds before the booster drops off.
6 • The missile's rocket can transport it more than 75 miles with a maximum speed of about 2,700 miles per hour.
7 • Missile-tracking radar (MTR) follows the missile. A computer at the fire control area calculates the movement of the bomber and missile and sends electronic signals that adjust the fins of the missile, which homes in on the aircraft even if it tries evasive tactics.
8 • When the missile reaches the "intercept point," the warhead receives a command to explode.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 2, 2022
7. St. Bonifacius: A Cold War Battlefront Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 370 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 23, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
