Quebec-One Missile Alert Facility

By America's State Parks Editorial TeamMay 8, 2026 · Updated October 29, 2026

Quebec 01 is a preserved Cold War missile alert facility just off Interstate 25, 25 miles north of Cheyenne, where two-person Air Force crews once stood alert about 50 feet underground in a launch control capsule.

From 1965 to 2005 this site controlled a flight of ten nuclear missiles in hardened underground silos miles away: Minuteman missiles until 1986, then the Peacekeeper, which carried ten warheads. Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails has run it as the Quebec 01 Missile Alert Facility State Historic Site since August 2019, and on December 11, 2023 it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Quick Facts

What You Will See

Above ground, Quebec 01 looks like a fenced ranch house on a level, treeless stretch of prairie. The launch control support building housed the facility manager, the cook and the security forces. Around it stand a vehicle storage building from 1966, communication antennas, a helipad from 1969, and a horseshoe pit and basketball hoop from the facility’s last active years. The National Park Service calls it the only accessible Peacekeeper missile alert facility left in the world.

The heart of the site lies about 50 feet underground. A freight elevator in a concrete shaft leads down, with a steel ladder as the backup route. A 12-ton blast door guards the tunnel junction, and an 8-ton door, painted with the insignia of the 400th Strategic Missile Squadron, protects the launch control capsule where the crew stood alerts of 24 hours or longer. In the north tunnel, a mural shows a Peacekeeper over World War II bomber nose art with the line “Only 30 Minutes Out”, and a handwritten note reads “Last man out, 20 April 2006, Q-1 deactivated”. The Air Force restored the consoles, computer racks and furniture before handing the site to the state; the equipment is not functional and no longer connected to any silo.

Why Quebec 01 Matters

Quebec 01 was built in 1963–64 for the 400th Strategic Missile Squadron of the 90th Strategic Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne and went on alert in 1965. The wing fielded 200 Minuteman missiles. From 1986, 50 of them were replaced by Peacekeepers in five flights, Papa through Tango, at the northwest end of the missile field. Quebec 02 was the first silo to receive a Peacekeeper launch canister, and the full Quebec flight was operational by December 1986. In April 1990 a Soviet inspection team visited Quebec 01 under the START arms control process. All-female launch crews were authorized for Minuteman capsules in 1986, and mixed crews followed in January 1988.

When the Peacekeeper was retired in 2005, the Air Force stripped the electronics from the other Peacekeeper alert facilities and filled their 50-foot elevator shafts with debris and concrete. Quebec 01 was the one it kept. A 2013 agreement with the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office opened the way for a transfer to the state “for use as a museum and interpretive facility”, and Wyoming law names it the “Quebec 1 missile alert facility state historic site” (W.S. 36-8-1601).

Plan Your Visit

Wyoming law sets Quebec 01 up as a seasonal site and lets the agency charge its own admission fee, separate from other state park fees, to fund the site (W.S. 36-8-1602). Opening days, guided tour times, prices and reservations are not confirmed here, so check with Wyoming State Parks before you drive out. The National Park Service lists an elevator, accessible rooms, an accessible restroom and parking for cars, buses and RVs. From Cheyenne, take Interstate 25 north to Exit 39; the facility sits half a mile west of the interstate, southwest of the exit. There is no shade on the fenced prairie tract, so bring a hat in summer and a warm layer in spring and fall.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Quebec 01?

Quebec 01 is a former Air Force launch control facility, later called a missile alert facility, 25 miles north of Cheyenne. From 1965 to 2005 its two-person crews controlled ten nuclear missiles in silos miles away, first Minuteman and from 1986 the Peacekeeper; today it is a Wyoming state historic site and a National Historic Landmark.

Did Quebec 01 control Minuteman or Peacekeeper missiles?

Both. Quebec 01 controlled Minuteman IB and later Minuteman III missiles from 1965 to 1986, and Peacekeeper missiles, each carrying ten warheads, from 1986 until the Peacekeeper was retired in 2005.

How do I get to Quebec 01 from Cheyenne?

Drive 25 miles north on Interstate 25 to Exit 39; the facility stands half a mile west of the interstate, southwest of the exit, at 2025 Road 238 in Laramie County.

When is Quebec 01 open, and do I need a reservation?

Quebec 01 is a seasonal site under Wyoming law, and its hours, tour times, admission fees and reservation rules are set by Wyoming State Parks, so check with Wyoming State Parks before you visit.

Are there other missile sites I can visit?

Yes, but they tell a different part of the story: Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in South Dakota preserves the Delta-01 control facility, and the Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Site in North Dakota opened in 2009 at Oscar-Zero; both controlled Minuteman missiles only, while Quebec 01 is the only accessible facility that ran the Peacekeeper.

Make it a road trip: Curt Gowdy State Park, Ames Monument and the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie are all within about an hour’s drive.

Sources: National Historic Landmark nomination, Quebec 01 Launch Control Facility (National Park Service, designated December 11, 2023, via Wyoming SHPO); National Park Service, Quebec-One MAF place page; Wyoming Statutes 36-8-1601 and 36-8-1602. As of October 2026.

About the Author

America's State Parks Editorial Team

America's State Parks is an independent online guide to state parks and other public lands in the United States. Our editorial team compiles park profiles from official agency and operator sources and other identified references, and follows our published editorial policy and review methodology. Where a profile shows a source-check date, that date applies to the detail it names. We correct errors when we find them or when readers report them.

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