Caribou Air Force Station
Caribou Air Force Station, also known as North River Depot and East Loring, is a defunct Air Force Station that operated from 1951 until some time when it was absorbed into Loring Air Force Base in 1962. It was located in Limestone, Maine, adjacent to Loring. Between 1951 and 1962 Caribou was an Operational Storage Site for Air Materiel Command (AMC-OSS), one of five in the United States, and the weapons storage and maintenance facility for Loring alert aircraft.
Caribou Air Force Station
Building No. 370 was constructed in 1952 as an administrative office building for Sandia Corporation personnel. It was a long, one-story building with a flat roof and was constructed of concrete block on a concrete foundation. The building had multiple window and door openings. It had not been occupied since the site closed in 1962. Building No. 372 was constructed in 1956 of reinforced concrete and block. It measured approximately 36-feet by 16-feet. This building was used by the readiness crew, and for hazardous storage. Building No. 374 was the largest building constructed in the Base Spares Area. Built in 1956 of reinforced concrete, it measured approximately 129-feet by 49-feet. This building was also used for warehouse supply and equipment. It was razed sometime after February 1994. Building No. 367 was constructed in 1952 as field office building for the Atomic Energy Commission. This small structure measured 17 feet-4 inches in width by 25 feet-4 inches in length, and was a single story structure with a full basement below ground. It was constructed of monolithic reinforced concrete throughout. This small office has survived all of these years, and for good reason. The building was constructed in such a manner that it was virtually impossible for it to be destroyed by fire. The walls were constructed of 5-inch by 8-inch joists made entirely of concrete. Between each joist, which were set every 2 foot-1-inch on center, was a slab of concrete 2 ½ inches thick. The basement floor consists of a 4-inch thick solid concrete slab. The basement depth was 9-feet below ground. The total height of the basement was 11 ½ feet, with the basement height actually being 2 ½ feet above ground level. The basement had one window in it at ground level on the north side. The only access to the basement was from inside the structure itself. The basement consisted of a single utility room. A single set of concrete steps 6-feet in width and 8-feet in total length were used to gain access to the building. The steps were attached to the building on the west elevation. Steel pipe handrails were attached to each side of the steps. Upon entering the building through the outer door, a 6-foot by 6-foot outer vestibule was the first room within the structure. The vestibule was located on the south side of the building. To the immediate left was a doorway leading into the main office room. This room measured 16-feet in width by 18-feet in length. This room had eight windows, three windows on the east and west elevations, and two windows on the north elevation. Behind the vestibule room was another small room which measured 6 foot by 5 foot. This room was a storage room, and it also had a ladder/stairway to the basement. A third small room located behind the storage room also measured 6 foot by 5 foot. This room had a toilet and sink. All three small rooms were separated from the main office room and each other by 2” X 4” stud wall partitions. The walls were covered by sheets of asbestos cement board. The floors and ceiling as well as the roof were constructed of solid monolithic concrete. The floors were covered with asphalt tile. This small, yet almost indestructible office building was the AEC Records Office. All records pertaining to this particular site, and the material under the control of the Atomic Energy Commission, were stored here during the period of 1952-1962.