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Selling the underground: Cold War silos

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As he descends more than 25 feet below the earth’s surface, Gary Pipes steps into a forgotten world.

Remnants of the Cold War era abound, conjuring up a time of nuclear armament, international unrest and frosty relations with the then Soviet Union.

That’s not what Pipes thinks about as he strolls through this missile silo near Pleasant Hill, Mo., however.

He sees a chance to make a few bucks. He’s not exactly sure how that will happen, but he figures the silo he bought for less than $200,000 was too good a deal to pass up.

Pipes in October purchased a decommissioned missile base once owned by the federal government. The property spans more than 15 acres and includes three enormous underground bunkers, where Nike defense missiles were poised for launching at a moment’s notice.
Read entire article at McClatchy Papers