South Dakota Air and Space Museum

The South Dakota Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum located in Box Elder, South Dakota, just outside the main gate of Ellsworth AFB. It is dedicated to the history of the United States Air Force, the base and aerospace in South Dakota.

South Dakota Air and Space Museum
Ellsworth AFB is located in South Dakota
Ellsworth AFB
Ellsworth AFB
Location within South Dakota
Established1983
LocationAdjacent to Ellsworth Air Force Base, Box Elder, South Dakota, United States
Coordinates44°08′0.82″N 103°04′23.31″W
TypeAviation museum
Collection size25+ aircraft
FounderGerald E. Teachout
Websitesdairandspacemuseum.com

History

The Ellsworth Heritage Foundation was founded as a result of a United States Air Force program began in 1982 to establish museums at various bases around the country.[1] The museum was co-founded by Gerald E. Teachout in 1983.[2] Fundraising for a new building began in 1985, but the museum was given four former F-89 hangars and a two-story building that had been planned for demolition.[1] The hangars and building were moved to the museum's current location near the base's main gate in 1992.[3][4]

The museum received a mockup of a Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit from the American Honda Motor Company in 1989.[5][lower-alpha 1] The following year, it restored a Boeing B-29 Superfortress and received a Boeing B-47 Stratojet from Pease Air Force Base.[7]

A Convair B-36 on display in Texas was originally planned to be added to the museum in 1992, but it was eventually transferred to another museum.[8][9] In 1994, a Minuteman II missile silo trainer located on Ellsworth Air Force Base was added to the museum inventory.[10][lower-alpha 2]

The museum received a grant in 1998 to renovate its displays.[12] In 2001, a new entrance with a Rockwell B-1 Lancer was dedicated.[13] Following a restoration, an AGM-28 Hound Dog missile was unveiled in 2011.[14] A two-year landscaping project was completed in 2016.[15] In 2017 the museum dedicated a Titan I missile on display in the outdoor airpark.[16] In 2019, the museum partnered with the Commemorative Air Force to fly a B-25 across the state to recognize the two South Dakotans who participated in the Doolittle Raid.[17] A model of an AGM-158 missile was placed on display in 2022.[18]

Exhibits

The museum has four interior galleries named for Frank Hunter, Duke Corning, Clyde Ice, and Joe Foss.[19] Displays cover the history of aerospace technology, the World Wars, the Cold War, aviation pioneers, and Ellsworth Air Force Base. A number of training aids, such as F-106 and B-1B cockpits, an F-16 simulator, and a Minuteman Crew Mission Procedures Trainer are on display. Other exhibits include Stratobowl Balloon Launches in the 1930s,[20] 44th Bombardment Group/44th Strategic Missile Wing, and the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame.[21]

Collection

Aircraft on display
North American VB-25J Mitchell

Missiles on display

See also

References

Footnotes
  1. The mockup was scrapped in 2004.[6]
  2. The site was transferred to the National Park Service in September 2002.[11]

Notes
  1. Hanson, Gordon (15 October 1985). "$500,000 Fund Drive Begun for Air Museum". Rapid City Journal. p. 3. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  2. "Gerald E. Teachout". Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  3. Hanson, Gordon (17 April 1988). "New Air and Space Museum Will Be Built at Ellsworth". Rapid City Journal. p. B1. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  4. Hanson, Gordon (30 September 1988). "Museum Gets Off the Ground as Hangars Moved to New Site". Rapid City Journal. p. B1. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  5. Hanson, Gordon (24 April 1989). "Honda Advertisement Gets Jump on Air Force Unveiling". Rapid City Journal. p. B1. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  6. Cissell, Bill (21 October 2004). "Museum Slices Stealth Display". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  7. Harlan, Bill (28 September 1990). "B-29 Superfortress Nearly Restored at Ellsworth Museum". Rapid City Journal. p. B1. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  8. Harlan, Bill (14 May 1992). "EAFB to Get Rare B-36". Rapid City Journal. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  9. "Airframe Dossier - Convair B-36J-10-CF Peacemaker, s/n 52-2827 USAF, c/n 383". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  10. Harlan, Bill (17 July 1994). "Air Museum Adds Silo". Rapid City Journal. p. 2. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  11. "Nuclear Missile Silo to Become Historic Site". Billings Gazette. AP. 28 September 2002. p. 2A. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  12. "Foundation Receives $80,000 Grant". Rapid City Journal. 9 May 1998. p. A8. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  13. Cook, Andrea J. (20 May 2007). "Museum Dedicates B-1 Lancer Bomber". Rapid City Journal. p. A11. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  14. Penzenstadler, Nick (9 May 2011). "Cold War Relic Gets New Home". Rapid City Journal. p. A3. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  15. Erwin, Nicolas Z. (6 June 2017). "Base museum receives beautification award". Ellsworth Air Force Base. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  16. Jenson, Randahl J. (24 August 2017). "A titan laid to rest". Ellsworth Air Force Base. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  17. "Raid Across South Dakota". General Aviation News. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  18. Malone, Hannah (18 April 2022). "Significant firepower". Ellsworth Air Force Base. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  19. Hanson, Gordon (6 May 1989). "Hangars Named After Three Well-Known State Aviators". Rapid City Journal. p. B1. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  20. Jeffery-Tomjack, Shell (2 September 2010). "History of Flight". Rapid City Journal. pp. C1–C2. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  21. "Exhibits". South Dakota Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 19 September 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  22. "Airframe Dossier - North American VB-25J Mitchell, s/n 43-4030 USAF, c/n 108-24356, c/r N3339G". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 31 January 2022.

Bibliography
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