Nuclear Hopes and Fears on Display in Missoula
Those curious about how Montana would have dealt with nuclear war in the 50’s can get a first-hand glimpse at the Mansfield Library on the University of Montana campus. An exhibit, titled ““Duck and Cover! Fact and Fiction of the Nuclear Age,” is on display and government documents librarian Susanne Caro says there is even a reconstructed fallout shelter.
"There is a little bit of a mock up of a fall out shelter," Caro said. "We were very lucky and were able to find some material from Gallatin county one of the sanitation kits that they actually had there. We found some materials that were also here on campus that were left overs from old fall out shelters from that including a 50- year old tin of survival biscuits."
Despite planning for an attack, Missoula would have had a pretty tough time surviving a nuclear blast.
"There were supposed to be about sixty fall out shelters in Missoula county," Caro said. "You are going to be expecting to live for possibly to two weeks on a tin of rather nasty graham crackers, a tin of candy that included the red dye that was banned for causing cancer, and barrels of water from who knows when they actually remembered to refresh those."
The exhibit, along with some special speakers will be featured between now and the end of July.