Nike Missile Base MS-70 – Cold War History in St. Bonifacius, MN

Built in the 1950s, this site was part of a nationwide air defense system meant to intercept Soviet bombers before they could reach major U.S. cities

Just outside the quiet town of St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, sits a relic of the Cold War: Nike Missile Base MS-70. Built in the 1950s, this site was part of a nationwide air defense system meant to intercept Soviet bombers before they could reach major U.S. cities.

MS-70 was one of several Nike sites encircling the Twin Cities. Each site had two parts: a radar and control area, and a missile launch area. At its peak, the base housed Nike Hercules missiles—nuclear-capable weapons designed to stop incoming threats mid-air.

The base was decommissioned in the 1970s as ICBMs and other technologies made the Nike system obsolete. Today, parts of the site still stand, fenced off and slowly fading into the landscape. Some buildings remain intact, offering a stark reminder of a time when nuclear war felt close to home.

While the site isn’t open to the public, it’s a powerful piece of hidden history—an eerie Cold War footprint in rural Minnesota.