As Cold War tensions escalated in the years following World War II, North Dakota found itself on the front lines of America’s defense against a potential Soviet attack. The U.S. Air Force established a network of bases and radar stations across the state. One such installation was Finley Air Force Station, which became operational in 1951, just a mile and a half outside of Finley, North Dakota. Like the station near Fortuna, Finley was part of a broader radar defense network designed to monitor the skies for enemy aircraft and guide interceptor jets.
Staffed by the 785th Radar Squadron, the station brought about 250 Air Force personnel and their families to the small town of Finley. But as missile technology advanced, particularly with the rise of intercontinental ballistic missiles, radar stations like Finley’s became obsolete. In 1979, the station was decommissioned. With the sudden departure of hundreds of people, Finley’s economy took a significant hit. City officials, determined to turn the loss into opportunity, set out to acquire the defunct radar base and its on-site housing.
Nearly two decades later, on this day in 1999, Finley finally reached that goal: ownership of the former Finley Air Force Station. The journey had been long and challenging. Although the base closed in 1979, it wasn’t until 1991 that the property was cleaned of hazardous materials like asbestos, PCBs, fuel tanks, and contaminated soil.
Local leaders were especially eager to repurpose the 20 homes on the site, originally built in the 1950s for married service members. A new business was coming to town and was expected to bring 200 employees, many of whom would need housing.
The homes had sat vacant until 1997, when they were briefly reopened to shelter more than 70 people displaced by the devastating Red River flood in Grand Forks. In a show of community spirit, Finley residents spent days cleaning away nearly two decades of dust and replacing appliances. So when the town officially acquired the homes in 1999, only minor repairs like replacing windows were needed.
In 2000, the houses were auctioned, and the city purchased eleven of them. Once the homes were relocated, the land they had occupied was given a new purpose—as a motocross track.
Dakota Datebook by Trista Raezer-Stursa
Sources:
- Associated Press. “Finley to Auction Homes,” Grand Forks Herald, May 19, 2000, pg. 4B.
- Author Unknown. “Finley and the Rise and Fall of Air Defense in NoDak,” Oscar-Zero: Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site, October 24, 2019, https://oscarzero.wordpress.com/2019/10/24/finley-and-the-rise-and-fall-of-air-defense-in-nodak/, accessed April 24, 2025.
- Author Unknown. Finley 75th, Diamon Jubilee, 1897-1972, https://digitalhorizonsonline.org/digital/collection/ndsl-books/id/103112/rec/1, accessed April 24, 2025.
- Bonham, Kevin. “On Each Other’s Radar,” Grand Forks Herald, June 16, 2007, pgs. A1, A2.
- Coomber, Sarah. “Finley Moving Ahead,” The Fargo Forum, May 26, 1999, pg. C1.
- Knutson, Jonathan. “A Tale of Two Counties,” The Fargo Forum, May 18, 2002, pgs. E1, E10.
- Larson, Troy. “Finley Air Force Station,” Ghosts of North Dakota, August 19, 2013, https://ghostsofnorthdakota892857007.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/finley-air-force-station/#more-7203, accessed April 24, 2025.
- Merx, Katie. “Radar Station Homes Will Help Ease the Temporary Housing Crisis,” Grand Forks Herald, April 30, 1997, pg. 16.
- Nixon, Lance. “Clean Up of Hazardous Materials at Finley Air Force Station Under Way,” Grand Forks Herald, October 23, 1991, pg. 2B.
- Nixon, Lance. “Finley has an Eye on Former Radar Site,” Grand Forks Herald, April 4, 1990, pgs. A1, A8.
- Pantera, Tom. “Finley Opens Arms, Fills Empty Homes,” The Fargo Forum, May 7, 1997, pgs. A1, A20.
