Nike Missile Control Site M-74 WI
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Description: Among the eight Nike missile sites in the Milwaukee area, M-74, along with the River Hills site on Brown Deer Road, remained operational throughout the entire 1956 - 71 period. The remaining six sites in Milwaukee had been deactivated prior to 1971. M-74 was one of three Milwaukee-area Nike sites that transitioned from the Ajax missile to the more advanced Hercules missile. This conversion for site M-74 occurred in August 1959. Initially, all eight Milwaukee-area sites were equipped with the Ajax missile. The five sites that didn't undergo the Hercules conversion were all decommissioned by 1964. From 1956 to 1964, site M-74 was operated by Active Army personnel. In June 1964, the Wisconsin National Guard assumed control and manned the site until its closure in 1971. Notably, in August 1964, the Wisconsin National Guard unit stationed at M-74 was honored with a trophy for having the air defense command's best firing batteries. In June 1971, Nike missile site M-74, along with the River Hills facility, were both closed, leaving the Milwaukee area without any surface-to-air missile sites. The third Nike Hercules site, situated on Milwaukee's lakefront, had been closed in 1969. As a result, Milwaukee's airspace was to be defended by missile facilities from Chicago and Minneapolis. Ultimately, all Nike missile sites across the nation were decommissioned.