Nike assembly building
In 1965, the US Army built a permanent Nike missile launch site within Everglades NP. This site replaced a temporary site established just outside the park in October 1962, immediately following the Cuban missle crisis. It was decommissioned in 1979, the last of the Nike bases to close. After our hike in the morning, we took a tour of the site given by one of the men who had been stationed at the site. Due to the size of the missles, they were transported to the site in pieces and had to be assembled there. This is where they were assembled. The building, designed and built by the Army Corps of Engineers, was 41 feet wide at its widest. The assembled missile was 42 feet long. Go figure. An extremely interesting tour.
Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the origina... ... read more 
