What do 3 nuns, nuclear weapons, and Greeley have in common? More than just the start of a bad joke. It’s a surprising and bold story that unfolded on October 6, 2002, when Sisters Ardeth Platte, Jackie Hudson, and Carol Gilbert staged a protest at the former Atlas E Missile Site near Greeley, Colorado. Colorado has had a significant and controversial history within the U.S. nuclear program. The state played a crucial role in the Manhattan Project, supplying over 850 tons of uranium, radium, and vanadium used in the atomic bombs developed during World War II.
Photo of the inside of Greeley’s Atlas E-12 Missile Silo and Launch Site taken during Museum staff tour in 2018
During the Cold War, five Atlas E Missile Silos were constructed in Weld and Larimer County all designed for rapid nuclear responses. Atlas E-12 Missile Silo and Launch Site was built in Greeley in 1959 and operational from 1961 to 1965. Greeley was chosen based on its central location in the continent to launch counter missiles to Cuba or Russia, the sparse population in agricultural areas, and its proximity to F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The site housed an Atlas E intercontinental ballistic nuclear missile, the first in the series that contained an all-inertial guidance system that eliminated the need for ground guidance control facilities. The site was unique as it utilized a subterranean concrete and steel “coffin”-type building, where the Atlas missile was stored in a horizontal position. To launch the missile, the “coffin’s” massive steel door was opened, and the missile was raised to a vertical position for fueling and launch. The site closed and deactivated in 1965 after the replacement of Atlas missiles for the Titan and Minuteman missiles and is now operated by Weld County as a park, Missile Site Park.
On October 6, 2002, the anniversary of military action in Afghanistan, the three nuns arrived dressed in jumpsuits marked CWIT (Citizen Weapon Inspection Team). They cut through the fence, hammered on the missile silo’s door, and symbolically painted crosses using baby bottles filled with their blood, making a dramatic statement against nuclear weapons. They called their act “symbolic disarmament” and made no action to flee, praying and singing hymns while waiting for military personnel to arrive. Their actions led to their arrest for obstructing national defense and damaging government property leading to hefty fines, and jail time. The sisters gained mass following support, encouraging future protests at the site. In the years following their protest and release from jail, Platte, Hudson, and Gilbert have continued advocating for nuclear peace. The contentious legacy of the site is rooted in the historic significance of Colorado’s role in nuclear warfare and the public response to having that history present in our own backyard.
Written by Britannia Barbour, Assistant Curator of Exhibits