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More than 70 people entered a bidding war to buy an abandoned Cold War-era missile silo complex in North Dakota — take a look at the property

Mary MeisenzahlAug 14, 2020, 00:40 IST

Sprint Missile bunker.Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

A decommissioned Cold War missile silo in North Dakota was up for auction on Tuesday.
The site has 14 launch sites for Sprint missiles, which were designed as the last line of defense against Soviet weapons.
Despite 70 bidders, the price only reached $52,500, which the seller rejected.

A piece of Cold War history went up for auction in North Dakota on Tuesday.

Decommissioned in the 1970s, the Remote Sprint Launcher 4 is a time capsule in need of repair. Other Cold War era missile silos have appeared for sale around the country in the last year, including in Arizona, Kansas, and New Jersey.

The 50 acre property has not officially sold yet, as the seller and bidders negotiate on an acceptable price. In the meantime, see what it looks like now.

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The sale includes 49 acres of property in northeastern North Dakota.

Overhead view. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

The bunker itself has 11,000 square feet underground, mostly untouched since it was decommissioned in the 1970s.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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It's located in rural Fairdale, North Dakota, "in the middle of a prairie," the seller told The Bismarck Tribune.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

Leslie Volochenko bought the property in 2012 for an undisclosed amount.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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Now, with plans to move to Texas, he's hoping to find an interested buyer.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

The property is officially called the Remote Sprint Launcher 4, where Sprint missiles were kept with potential to launch during the Cold War.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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Sprint was an Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), built to take out incoming missiles before they could strike.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

ICBMs in North Dakota were considered the last defense against a Soviet attack over the arctic, Military Times reported.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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Sprint missiles were 30 foot long cones that weighed over 7,700 lbs.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

They could travel as fast as 7,000 miles per hour.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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It was decommissioned in the 1970s, and has largely remained untouched since.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

By the time the site was active, it had already been defunded.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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Now it sits as a time capsule to the Cold War and the near miss of nuclear war.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

Volochenko intended to refurbish the property, but he never got around to it

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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He hasn't changed much about it since 2012.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

His only major addition was writing his last name on the entry tunnel.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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He has also been working on cleaning up water that leaked inside the bunker.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

As far as sprucing up the exterior, Volochenko says he planted flowers and released some pheasants.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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"They're intact but they show signs of abandonment. They're rusty and in need of repair. There are 14 missile tubes. It's quite a facility" property manager David Keller told Military Times.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

"They're intact but they show signs of abandonment. They're rusty and in need of repair. There are 14 missile tubes. It's quite a facility" property manager David Keller told Military Times.

Despite the need for repairs, Keller says the site is "the ultimate in pandemic getaway spots."

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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The property has 14 missile launch tubes, plus a command bunker.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

An auction was scheduled for Tuesday, August 11 through Pfifer's Auction and Realty.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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There was no starting bid for the auction, but Keller told the Bismarck Tribune that he expected the property to do well.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

He indicated that there was interest from doomsday preppers and Cold War history fans.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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Concrete walls over two feet thick, in a bunker deep underground, could certainly appeal to someone looking for a fallout shelter from natural disasters, attacks, and pandemics.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

Concrete walls over two feet thick, in a bunker deep underground, could certainly appeal to someone looking for a fallout shelter from natural disasters, attacks, and pandemics.

Some have suggested potential as a campsite, or tourist attraction, which has been done with some other decommissioned missile silos around the US.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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The property's untouched status makes it a relative rarity.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

There were once as many as 1,200 nuclear weapons stored in North Dakota.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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Keller told Atlas Obscura that North Dakota was an ideal place for missiles not just because of the location, but also the low population density.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

Most have been demolished or used for scrap parts, so Remote Sprint Launcher 4 is a rare find.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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The property is double fenced, so it could provide privacy and security for anyone willing to take on the work of a major fixer-upper.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

Despite the historical significance of the property, the auction didn't go according to plan.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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The final bid of $52,500 was far below estimates.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

Keller told Business Insider that there were more than 70 bidders at the auction.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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However, the seller did not accept the final bid, and Keller says that they will continue negotiating.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

The missile silo-turned-doomsday-bunker market can be hard to predict. In December, a Titan II missile complex in Arizona sold for $420,000, $20,000 over asking.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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A few months later, two more Arizona missile silos went on sale for $495,000 each. One sold for $500,000, while the other saw a price cut and is still on the market.

Sprint Missile bunker. Pifer’s Auction & Realty – Moorhead, MN

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