Old Cold War Radar Base in Michigan May Become Tourist Attraction

A group of Michigan Tech alumni are one step closer to bringing new life to a old radar base in the U.P. It's reported that the  group has submitted the winning bid for a former U.S. Air Force radar station in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with hopes of turning into a tourist destination.

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Zach Garner, of Perry, is said to have submitted the winning bid of $227,000 last week on behalf of the group interested in the property. He did so on behalf of himself and Michigan Tech alumni who are engineers.

“We are passionate about the Keweenaw Peninsula and respectful of the deep history rooted in the area, including this site itself,” said a letter that accompanied the bid according to WXYZ Detroit. 

The property is situated between Lake Superior and Lake Gratiot in Eagle Harbor Township. The location  is known locally as Mount Horace Greeley,  It was for nearly 40 years that it served as a radar station during the Cold War with the Soviet Union.

In 1988, the station closed as a result of the deactivation of the unit involved. After that, from 1998-2004, the are became the Keweenaw Academy, which was a juvenile corrections facility. Since that closure, the site has been vacant.

In the letter accompanying the bid, the group is looking to revitalize the area in a positive way. The letter stated, the group hopes to address any environmental issues at the former base, employ local residents, and has a goal to turn the land into a tourism spot.