Disrupting the horizon with a startling physical presence on the flat North Dakota prairie, the remains of the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex are the physical remnants of a decisive stage of the Cold War. The complex was part radar array, part computing marvel, and part nuclear launch control platform that represented a significant federal investment in rural North Dakota. Together, these pieces created the pinnacle of the Pentagon’s efforts to create an effective antiballistic missile system. The local memories attached to the complex contrast with general perceptions of the Cold War. Memories of friendship and community are common when the topic of the Missile Site Radar is broached, adding detail to the general understanding of a Cold War experience that includes a boom followed shortly by a near-complete bust. Recent efforts by the Cavalier County Job Development Authority have reinvigorated interest in the structure, the town, and the story of the Missile People. Interviews with residents and excerpts from The Guardian newsletter describe an intersection of two communities drawn together by terrible circumstances yet were able to create memories that belie the nuclear finality the site ultimately represented.