A once-secret piece of Cold War infrastructure is now on full display in southern Manitoba.
The Miami Railway Station Museum officially opened its restored Fallout Reporting Post (FRP) on Saturday — the only publicly accessible exhibit of its kind in Canada. The new permanent installation attracted an estimated 200 visitors, all eager to learn about Canada’s Cold War civil defence efforts and explore a bunker once hidden beneath their feet.
The FRP is a replica of the underground shelter that once stood on the museum grounds, part of a network of more than 2,000 similar structures operated by civilian volunteers across the country during the Cold War. These bunkers were built to monitor and report radiation levels in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion.
“This was a piece of our national infrastructure — hidden in plain sight for decades,” said Gilles Messier, a Cold War historian, author and expert on fallout reporting posts. “It’s incredible to see one restored so authentically and shared so openly.”
Messier gave brief opening remarks before cutting a strip of bright yellow caution tape to ceremonially open the exhibit.
Fallout Reporting Posts were part of Canada’s Emergency Government infrastructure, established in the late 1950s and ‘60s amid fears of nuclear war. Staffed by civilian volunteers with training in radiation monitoring, each post was equipped with detection instruments, communication gear and emergency supplies. Most were decommissioned by the 1980s and either demolished or left to decay — making the Miami exhibit a rare and valuable educational tool.
Visitors on Saturday were treated to a wide range of Cold War-themed displays and family-friendly activities, including:
- Civil defence materials and memorabilia from Canada’s nuclear preparedness era;
- Vintage army vehicles and emergency response equipment;
- Hands-on science demonstrations featuring a cloud chamber and Geiger counter;
- Book signings by Manitoba historian Gordon Goldsborough, author of Abandoned Manitoba;
- Live music by Carman-based band FlatTop and Company;
- Interactive crafts, contests, and a Cold War-themed cake complete with a mushroom cloud.
“This is exactly the kind of event that makes history come alive,” said one local attendee. “You can read about the Cold War, but standing in that bunker really drives it home.”
The Fallout Reporting Post exhibit will remain open during regular museum hours throughout the summer at the Miami Railway Station Museum.
By Lana Meier with files by Joan Driedger
