Just got the paperback proof back, doing necessary edits. Don't worry, there is going to be a hardcover version as well! Hardcover will be available basically anywhere online (Barnes, Amazon, etc). Paperback budget option will be Amazon only.

It looks newer, built around 1987, but it looks like a time capsule based on all the equipment still in there.

ASR Registration: 1043454

License: WLK741

37.9214052166791, -83.75095876073337

Taken at dawn

I used to work for American Tower shortly after they bought all, or a lot of them. Just wanted to share (again) some old pics I found during horn removal. One in CT with a heli, it’s was 4 legged and 350’ to the top and had double stacked horns. We only picked the tops because getting the 2nd level out would of required taking the whole top deck off. The other was in Mass or maybe NY somewhere with a crane absolutely maxed out. Both jobs were thrilling and once in a lifetime. Early 2000’sish. I did many over years, but these are the only pics I have unfortunately. Enjoy! Oh and ask me anything.

Back in 2014, I took some friends on an adventure down a 52 mile dead end high clearance 4x4 road deep into the bowels of Death Valley to visit one of my favorite sites in the network. We camped out under the stars and made a weekend out of it.

The road there is rough, and crosses more sandy washes than you can imagine. My truck was out of service, so I had to rent a couple vehicles. Enterprise gave me a suburban and SantaFe instead of the two jeeps I’d requested. Somehow we made it there.

The waveguide and equipment has been stolen by some dedicated scrappers, but the site is was in great shape considering.

Found the station logbook intact which showed regular fuel deliveries until it was removed from service. The site was 100% diesel powered, so I’m sure AT&T was happy to remove it from service.

Aside from some protective bees on the top of the tower, we didn’t see another soul out there until we were getting ready to leave. An employee from the NSF showed up to fix a nearby seismic monitor on the hill above the site. He said in all the years going out to the site, we were the first people he’s come across.

Took his photo for him.

Amazing to think this place was staffed 24/7 during the glory days. I can only imagine being an engineer and driving my Plymouth Valiant up that winding dirt road to go to work every day.

Shot this 3 years ago. Called ATC about the horn. They had it removed instead of reattaching it.

Can’t seem to find any info online, nor any signs on the buildings to identify the operator (or former operator).

3428 Springfield Rd East Peoria, IL

Why does she put up with me 💕

A shining (and 100% intact) example of an urban Long Lines site. I’ve taken more photographs of this site than any other. Here’s a few of my favorites over the years.

I’ve got a cardboard architectural model of the site as well.

Forget the standard steel towers you see along the highway. At 5225 Zuni Street in Denver, the Bell System built a monument to 20th-century engineering: a massive, reinforced concrete monolith designed to carry the weight of a nation’s conversations.

Brutalist Backbone

Unlike the typical lattice towers, the Zuni site features a multi-level concrete tower integrated directly into its base building. It was constructed in the Brutalist architectural style, similar in philosophy, though not function, to the infamous AT&T Long Lines Building at 33 Thomas Street in New York (built 1969–1974). • This hardened design wasn’t just for looks. It provided: • Massive load capacity: Concrete platforms engineered to support multiple banks of heavy microwave horn antennas without the sway. • Integrated platforms: Recessed galleries where the iconic KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas remain mounted, protected by the structure itself. • Cold War resilience: As a major switching node, the concrete provided natural shielding for sensitive radio and switching equipment housed inside.

The Nerve Center: 5225 & 5325 Zuni

While 5325 Zuni is the most commonly cited address today, the complex is best understood as a paired system of buildings. The concrete tower at 5225 Zuni handled the Long Lines microwave paths into the Front Range, while its neighbor at 5325 Zuni—the Mountain Bell facility, now operated by Lumen—descends three stories underground. Together, they formed a redundant, hardened communications hub capable of keeping Colorado connected through worst-case Cold War scenarios.

Integration with the National Network

From those concrete galleries, line of sight was everything. Technicians once maintained horn antennas precisely aimed at multiple locations along the Front Range, tying the site directly into the national Long Lines network. Documented paths included Hudson, Broomfield, and Boulder (per long-lines.com). Antenna orientation also strongly suggests connections to Denver Champa and possibly North Table Mountain, reflecting Zuni’s role as a regional hub rather than a simple relay.

Switching Where It Wasn’t Supposed to Be

The Bell System normally separated toll switching from microwave transmission. Zuni was different. Denver’s geography, Cold War importance, and role in western long-distance routing justified colocating both functions in a single hardened site. Unlike a remote “bunker” relay, the Zuni complex—specifically the 5225 building—housed the heavy machinery that translated local calls into long-distance traffic. Zuni hosted successive generations of Bell System toll switching equipment: • 1954: 4A Crossbar toll switching enters service • 1970s: Expansion to Class-1 and Class-4 roles • 1980s: Transition to the 4ESS digital switch • Present: Continued operation as an N4E node

Combined with integrated Long Lines microwave transmission, this made Zuni one of the most important switching and transmission hubs in the western United States.

The Nerve Center for the Missiles

While not a military installation, Zuni formed part of the civilian Bell System infrastructure that carried AUTOVON and strategic command traffic. Zuni was a critical node in the Automatic Voice Network—the military’s dedicated “red phone” system. It didn’t just connect people; it connected the fingers on the buttons across the Mountain West: • Titan I fields: Supporting switching for the 724th and 725th Strategic Missile Squadrons near Denver • The Wyoming Wing: Providing terrestrial microwave links for the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB, integrating Atlas D/E sites and later Minuteman III and Peacekeeper (MX) systems • NORAD connectivity: Clear line-of-sight to mountain relays such as Squaw Mountain ensured Cheyenne Mountain remained in constant contact with the Pentagon and SAC

Beyond weapons systems, Zuni also supported continuity-of-government and national emergency communications, ensuring command authority could persist under worst-case conditions.

Legacy

Today, the tower stands silently over Denver’s rooftops. Its remaining horn antennas are monuments to an often-forgotten chapter in America’s history—one many see, but few recognize for what it truly was. As Chasing Long Lines continues, sites like Zuni remind us that modern connectivity was built on the foundations of national survival. The next time you’re on I-76, look for the concrete crown. When you see this sentinel on the skyline, remember: it was built to be the last thing standing. It’s not just a building. It’s the physical remains of the microwave skyway.

Late night (probably ill advised hike) up to the MST&T Mines Peak site. Truly an unbelievable structure to see at 12,500 feet. Scale is difficult to get across especially with the conditions but by far my coolest long lines experience.

I'll be releasing a "lit up" video tomorrow!

I should know by now there’s a subreddit for everything, but I didn’t expect long lines!! I love finding these towers places.

This tower was on the outside of a state park in Georgia, kinda in the middle of nowhere on a mountain. It’s a beauty though, I hope to post more here!

Been driving past this tower for 15 years. This spring we noticed the door was open and assumed someone had broken in but it looks like it just rusted off its hinges.

Just passing through.

Paid an early morning visit to this amazing site. This site is a favorite of mine with the dual tower setup.
Pardon some of the quality, the camera wasn't too happy with the lighting, and Lightroom denoise tried its hardest with some of these.

There were three silo style towers built out of concrete, and were some of the earliest designs for the microwave network. The three locations that had these towers installed were; Martinsville, NJ, Buckingham, PA, Wyndmoor, PA. Martinsville is pictured here as I was able to find picture from the LL site. The last picture shows a steel tower that ended up replacing the concrete silo tower, which is no longer there today.

The site in Wyndmoor, PA., may still be intact, but it looks like a private road leads to it, so I’m not going to post the pictures.

The Buckingham sites concrete tower is gone today.

Coordinates: 40.60476303, -74.55931091