Reporter-News Archives Wednesday, March 3, 1999 Missile society fired-up to track down an Atlas A small but fired-up group of Big Countrians devoted to the area's decades-old nuclear missile history wants to assume a hefty burden Atlas himself might well shirk. In fact, what they want is to bring an 82-foot-tall Atlas missile to Abilene - and, along the way, turn Abilene into "Atlas Town USA." Ultimate goal: To use missiles of the Cold War to heat up the local tourist industry. "We want to get people all sweaty and excited when they drive up to it," said Larry Sanders, president of the Atlas ICBM Historical Society, devoted to recognizing and preserving a unique segment of Cold War history. "You know, people absolutely get blown away when you tell them we had 12 missiles all around Abilene and what the structures were like that housed them." Now the group sees actually acquiring one of the old, obsolete Atlas missiles as the next step for a city that has long championed its ties to Dyess Air Force Base and the defense industry. Some society members have even discussed the possibility of mounting the missile - at least, temporarily - at Dyess' Linear Air Park, which is devoted to showcasing various and sundry military aircraft. The park remains a popular destination for tourists. But like finding old warbirds, securing a defunct missile from the Cold War may take some doing. "I'm extremely optimistic," said Sanders, district coordinator for state Sen. Troy Fraser and a noted photographer. "I wouldn't be pursuing it so aggressively unless I thought it was truly possible. We suspect there are a lot of missiles out there nobody really knows about. In fact, at one point some time back, one of our members was actually offered one." The Atlas ICBM Historical Society's latest effort pivots on the Abilene area's past, beginning in 1960, when work began in earnest on the mammoth, 180-foot-deep missile silos ringing Abilene and overseen by Dyess Air Force Base. The missiles themselves were operational by 1961 but, in the madness of the arms race, were obsolete by 1965. By the mid-1960s, the missiles had been removed. Many of the missiles wound up at Norton Air Force Base in California, Sanders said. His research shows that, of the 141 missiles transported there, 95 were refurbished and used in other pursuits, including the space program and the deployment of satellites. "What we're trying to do is find out what happened to the other Atlases that weren't used," Sanders said. "We want to identify them and then find out what would be needed to acquire them and bring them to the Big Country." Although the Linear Air Park currently has a moratorium on any additional exhibits, Richard "Doc" Warner, who oversees the park for Dyess AFB, says he'd love to see the society's project happen. "That's part of our heritage at Dyess," Warner said. "We actually had one - in fact, I think we had several missiles - and we ended up giving them to an air and space museum in Kansas. At the time they were regarded as too big and too hard to take care of. But, personally, I'd like to see one somewhere in Abilene." Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:  texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local News Texas News Copyright ©1999, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications