Nike Missile Site C-47 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Nike Missile Site C-47
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 Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | County Roads 600N and 700N, south of Portage, Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana |
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| Area | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| Architect | U.S. Army |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001669 |
| Added to NRHP | January 21, 2000 |
The Nike Missile Site C-47 was a special place near Portage, Indiana. It was part of a big defense system called Project Nike. This system used powerful missiles to protect the United States during the Cold War. The Cold War was a long period of tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union (now Russia) without a direct war.
These Nike missiles were designed to fly super fast. They used radar to find and hit enemy aircraft. The idea was to make it too risky for any country to attack the U.S. Nike missile sites were built in rings around important cities and industrial areas. Chicago was chosen because it had many people, military bases, and a big steel industry in Gary, Indiana.
Nike C-47 near Portage had two main parts about a mile apart. The first part was the Launcher Area. This is where the missiles were kept and launched. It was located south of County Road 700 North. The second part was the Control Area. This is where soldiers controlled the missiles and radar. It was located north of County Road 600 North, near Wheeler. The base started working in 1956, after construction began in 1954.
Contents
What Was Inside the Site?
The Nike C-47 site had several important buildings and areas. These included places for soldiers to live and work. There were also buildings to assemble missiles. Special doors allowed missiles to be moved up from underground storage. Radar towers helped track targets in the sky.
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Building #2 and the Fallout Shelter
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Duty Barracks
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Missile Assembly Building
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Missile Elevator doors
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Radar Towers
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Headquarters building
Protecting Chicago and Gary
The Chicago defense area was one of the largest in the country. It had about 20 Nike bases circling the Chicago area. The first Nike missiles could not fly very far. This meant the bases had to be close to the areas they were protecting.
The Army started buying land and building these sites in the early 1950s. The basic system was ready by 1954. Newer Nike missiles, like the "Hercules", made the defense system even better. These Hercules missiles could carry nuclear warheads. They could destroy many Soviet bombers over a large area.
Some sites, including C-47, received these powerful Hercules missiles. These missiles could even reach Soviet airspace to stop enemy planes. Hercules missiles also had the potential to be used against ICBMs. ICBMs are very long-range missiles that can travel across continents.
Other Nearby Nike Sites
Many other Nike missile sites were built around the Chicago and Gary area. Here are a few examples of what happened to some of them:
- C-32 near Porter, Indiana: This site is now used by the National Park Service for offices. The missile launch area is still there but is fenced off and overgrown.
- C-44 near Hegewisch / Wolf Lake, Illinois: This site is now abandoned and overgrown. Some foundations of old buildings can still be seen.
- C-45 near Gary Municipal Airport, Indiana: This area has been redeveloped. A hangar and parking lot for aircraft are now there.
- C-46 near Munster, Indiana: This site has been turned into an industrial park. The launch site was removed in 2008.
- C-48 near Gary, Indiana: This site was redeveloped for an automobile dealership. The launch site is now a commercial and industrial area.
Why the Sites Closed
The Nike missile system protected the United States until 1972. The bases were closed because of agreements made during the SALT treaty. This treaty aimed to limit nuclear weapons between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The closing also happened as a time of "détente" began. Détente was a period of less tension between the two superpowers.
Why Site C-47 is Important
To be considered important enough for the National Register of Historic Places, Nike sites need to be historically special. They also need to have kept most of their original parts. This includes the administration, radar, and launch areas.
There were 15 Nike sites in Illinois that were part of the Chicago-Gary Defense Area. Five of the bases in this defense ring were in Indiana. Nike C-47 is the only site that still has all three of its main parts. Some buildings remain at other bases in Indiana, but they are not complete sites. The early use of nuclear missiles at Site C-47 also makes it a very rare and important historical place.
Missiles on Display
You can still see Nike missiles on display in a few places:
- A Nike Ajax and a Nike Hercules missile are on display in front of the VFW post in Cedar Lake, Indiana.
- A Nike Ajax missile is on display near the Toledo Rockets Glass Bowl Stadium at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio.
