Stories of Mount Umunhum Stop 3 - Radar Tower West Side

Air Force History - This eight--story concrete tower was once a base holding a large radar dish operated by the US Air Force. Between 1957 and 1980, the Air Force used Mount Umunhum’s spectacular views to help protect the West Coast from the possible threat of Soviet planes during the Cold War. The Almaden Air Force Station permanently closed in 1980 when satellite technology made the radar station here obsolete. Some military veterans who worked at the Air Force Station took their technical skills down the mountain and contributed them to the growth of Silicon Valley.
The Tower image - Credit: Pacific Bell, ©1967 (From cover of Area Code 408 phone book, 1967).