U.S. Air Force officials and local dignitaries gathered with about 200 spectators to celebrate the occasion.

Brig. Gen. James Guthrie, commander of the 29th Air Division at Great Falls, Montana, described the project as “North Dakota’s first major military installation” and the “culmination of a two-year dream.”

During the event, Col. Thomas Hayes Jr., Omaha District engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in charge of the construction, announced the Corps expected to call for bids in August 1955 for construction of 11 buildings, roads and utilities at the base, if the government funds were available.

The day of the event , the U.S. House Appropriations Committee recommended more than $6.2 million for construction of the new base.

About 200 spectators gathered north of Minot for the groundbreaking ceremony held July 12, 1955, for the jet interceptor base to be constructed.

Peter Kiewit Sons Co. already was awarded the $3.6 million contract for construction of a runway, taxiway, parking aprons and fuel storage.

Minot officials who pledged continued support and cooperation of the citizens of Minot and Ward County for the base included Minot Mayor Maurice Harrington; A.R. Weinhandl, president of the Minot Chamber of Commerce; Dr. A.L. Cameron, director in charge of the Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee; Hal S. Davies, chairman of the Military Affairs Committee and president of The Minot Daily News; Ulric Gwynn, secretary-manager of the Chamber; and B.O. Dahl, president of the Ward County Board of Commissioners.

After the speeches were presented from a truck bed converted into a stage, a ceremonial earth-turning was conducted using a “dedicated” strip scraper machine with Dahl at the controls and other dignitaries riding along to “supervise.”

A year later, a number of the projects for the new base had been constructed or were being constructed.

The base has had changes over the years with units leaving and others being added.

Today, Minot AFB is the only dual wing nuclear-capable base in the Air Force with the 5th Bomb Wing’s B-52H bombers and the 91st Missile Wing’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles in the Minot missile field.

Nuclear modernization will bring new weapon systems to the Minot base – the Sentinel – to replace the Minuteman III ICBMs, the Long Range Standoff weapon for the B-52s and the UH-1N “Huey” helicopters replaced with the MH-130A “Grey Wolf” helicopters.

– Sources: The Minot Daily News and Minot AFB history