Category Archives: Cold War

Atomic Snapshots: Grandview Off Leash Dog Park

In SeaTac, Washington, you’ll find Grandview Off-Leash Dog Park with stunning views of Mount Rainier and the Kent Valley just south of Seattle. Complete with trails, an agility course, and open areas, the complex is a former Nike Missile Site.

Project Nike Missile Launch Site S-43 (Seattle Defense Area) began operation in 1956, one of 11 sites forming a ring around the Puget Sound region to protect Boeing and military installations. This site could launch 30 missiles carrying three high-yield warheads, each. The site was in service until 1963.

Nike missiles at Site S-43.

Site S-43 had Ajax conventional warhead missiles during its service, managed by both regular Army and National Guard members. Other sites in the area were converted to Hercules missiles with nuclear warheads. This was necessary to protect the Kent Valley which contained numerous Boeing facilities (one of which later developed the Lunar Roving Vehicle).

Enjoy the grand view!

Atomic Snapshots: Radar Hill

During the Cold War, three lines of defense protected North America from the “imminent” threat against Soviet long-range bombers. These consisted of radar stations along the DEW line (Distant Early Warning), the MCL (Mid-Canada Line), and the Pinetree Line. These joint ventures by Canada and the U.S. were staffed by U.S. Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force personnel from 1951 to 1991.

U.S. Navy diagram from All Hands magazine, September 1956 (Department of Defense).

With the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles by 1960, however, most of these defenses became obsolete and were gradually dismantled.

Radar Hill is part of Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The decommissioned RCAF Station Tofino provides hiking trails and scenic viewpoints. The site was operated as a Pinetree Line radar station from 1955 to 1958.

Remnants of the base are still visible, whether guy wire hooks, concrete pads, embedded radio tower piping, foundation walls, or the decking laid on top of the old building foundations.

The History Guy: The Distant Early Warning Line and Forgotten History

Atomic Snapshot: CEMP

The Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) is a network of 29 monitoring stations surrounding and downwind of the Nevada Test Site (now the Nevada National Security Site or NNSS) where United States nuclear tests were conducted. The program is a joint venture between the Desert Research Institute and the Department of Energy’s Nevada Field Office.

CEMP readings in Delta, Utah

The stations provide continuous measurements of gamma radiation and collect air particulate samples that are analyzed for radioactivity and meteorological measurements that aid in interpreting variations in background radiation. The CEMP stations provide evidence to the public that no releases of radiation of health concern are occurring from the NNSS to the stations.

Of the 29 stations, 23 upload data in real-time to a public website as well as digital readout displays at the stations, providing transparency to the public. The other 6 stations upload hourly.

The CEMP station pictured, above, is in Delta, Utah. The CEMP stations are designed to reduce the public perception of risk through community involvement. Be sure to visit the real-time data from the station: Delta, Utah (DRI-CEMP) Weather Station.

40th Anniversary of the Community Environmental Monitoring Program with William “Ted” Hartwell, sponsored by the National Atomic Testing Museum (January 7, 2021)