US Air Force officials and the State of Wyoming are working to turn a former Cold War nuclear missile silo into a visitor attraction, with plans to transfer the site to the Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources agency next year to ready it for public use.

With a scheduled opening date of 2019, the Quebec-01 missile alert facility first opened as a military base in October 1962. Chosen for its close proximity to the Soviet Union, the facility remained operational and on continuous alert until January 1975. In 1988 the facility was modified to hold 50 Peacekeeper thermonuclear missiles, designed to deter any action from rival nations until its deactivation in 2005.

The Quebec-01 site comprises several above-ground structures, in addition to a 100ft (30m) elevator shaft providing access to a command capsule, machine room, underground corridors and blast doors.

Over a two-year period, the site will be restored to look as it did when fully operational, with tours led by former air force members acting as docents to tell the base’s history.

Before the handover can take place, the government is conducting a series of environmental baseline surveys to confirm that there is no nuclear contamination on the site. Clean up efforts have also been focused on removing asbestos, lead-based paint and other contaminants typically seen in older construction projects.

“The Cold War was a huge part of US history, especially for the Baby Boomer generation who lived through it,” said Milward Simpson, director of Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources, speaking to Smithsonian.

“Nuclear tourism is something that has an increasing interest in the public, and it’s extremely important that we preserve that history, especially since the Peacekeeper was one of the factors that helped end the Cold War.”

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