Montana History in 9 Easy Lessons: #7 Montana and the Cold War

The Cold War had a profound impact on Montana. Although distant from Washington, D.C., and Moscow, the state’s wide-open spaces and sparse population made Montana an important part of the country’s Cold War strategy. Along with the nuclear missiles based here, Montanans took an active role in defending the security of the United States through Civil Defense groups like the Ground Observer Corps. About the speaker: Jon Axline is a graduate of Montana State University and has worked at the Montana Department of Transportation since 1990. He is the author of a number of books and articles, including Conveniences Sorely Needed: Montana’s Historic Highway Bridges, Taming Big Sky Country: The History of Montana Transportation from Trails to Interstate, and “Operation Skywatch: The Montana Ground Observer Corps, 1952–1959,” which appeared in the Summer 2017 issue of Montana The Magazine of Western History. (May 15, 2018)