During the Cold War, nuclear strikes were amongst some of the greatest fears American's experienced.
The threat of a nuclear weapon attack spurred the development of civil defense in the United States.
This was an effort to prepare non-combat citizens for military attack and the aftermath of a nuclear attack.
Different plans were put in place to give citizens some peace of mind as to how to survive after major devastation took place.
Nuclear shelters were part of these national security efforts.
These shelters were intended to protect against nuclear blast effects.
Thick concrete buildings and other sturdy elements were often used for nuclear shelters.
In the state of Idaho, caves were designated as nuclear shelters.
One of these caves is still referred to by locals as the Civil Defense Caves, just north of Rexburg, Idaho.
The idea of a civil defense cave is that it is a natural barrier and a ready made fallout shelter that would protect against a nuclear blast.
How survivors would deal with the fallout from radiation is not something I have come across.
The military had plans to use caves as factories, shelters and other strategic developments.
Bill Stephenson, President of the National Speological Society, wrote a letter in 1940 to the Advisory Committee of the Council on National Defense explaining the value of caves in civil defense to the United States listing the following among other reasons:
Rexburg, Idaho may recently be more well known for school bus children chanting "Assassinate Obama" or a local Idaho Governor candidate joking about purchasing hunting tags for President Obama, but in days passed it must have been considered a prime target for Russia to blow up...
or maybe not.
Anyway you look at it, the history of civil defense caves is an interesting topic.
The threat of a nuclear weapon attack spurred the development of civil defense in the United States.
This was an effort to prepare non-combat citizens for military attack and the aftermath of a nuclear attack.
Different plans were put in place to give citizens some peace of mind as to how to survive after major devastation took place.
Nuclear shelters were part of these national security efforts.
These shelters were intended to protect against nuclear blast effects.
Thick concrete buildings and other sturdy elements were often used for nuclear shelters.
In the state of Idaho, caves were designated as nuclear shelters.
One of these caves is still referred to by locals as the Civil Defense Caves, just north of Rexburg, Idaho.
The idea of a civil defense cave is that it is a natural barrier and a ready made fallout shelter that would protect against a nuclear blast.
How survivors would deal with the fallout from radiation is not something I have come across.
The military had plans to use caves as factories, shelters and other strategic developments.
Bill Stephenson, President of the National Speological Society, wrote a letter in 1940 to the Advisory Committee of the Council on National Defense explaining the value of caves in civil defense to the United States listing the following among other reasons:
- Storage places for strategic materials like gasoline.
- Air-raid and permanent shelters for evacuated citizens
- Possibility for use as factories for highly specialized or important military implements.
- Prisons for war.
Rexburg, Idaho may recently be more well known for school bus children chanting "Assassinate Obama" or a local Idaho Governor candidate joking about purchasing hunting tags for President Obama, but in days passed it must have been considered a prime target for Russia to blow up...
or maybe not.
Anyway you look at it, the history of civil defense caves is an interesting topic.
SHARE
