Manhattan Project

Manhattan Project National Historical Park Los Alamos 475 20th Street, Suite C Los Alamos, NM 87544 505-661-MAPR (6277) National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Los Alamos, New Mexico WAC's working the main post switchboard Women Army Corps at the base post office In 1943, the United States government’s Manhattan Project built a secret laboratory at Los Alamos, New Mexico, for a single military purpose—to develop the world’s first atomic weapons. The success of this unprecedented, top-secret government program forever changed the world. represent the world-changing history of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos. Their preservation and interpretation will show visitors the scientific, social, political, and cultural stories of the men and women who ushered in the atomic age, and the time in which they lived. Three locations comprise the park: Project Y at Los Alamos, New Mexico; Site X at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Site W at Hanford, Washington. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park legislation identifies 17 sites at Los Alamos National Laboratory, as well as 13 sites in downtown Los Alamos. These structures In Los Alamos, visitors can see the Manhattan Project era properties on this walking tour in the city center, visit the Bradbury Science Museum and Los Alamos History Museum. 1. POND CABIN Originally built in 1914 by Ashley Pond as an office for a private Sportman’s Club, the cabin was used by physicist Emilio Segrè’s group during the Manhattan Project to support plutonium chemistry research. Manhattan Project National Historical Park LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY MAP LOS ALAMOS Original Technical Area 1 (TA-1); see reverse 2. Battleship Bunker Built in 1944, this bunker supported implosion diagnostic tests for Fat Man. The Creutz implosion test was the final systems check of The Gadget prior to the Trinity test. This building is known as a battleship building because the bunker’s west end is bow shaped and shielded with a steel plate. Los Alamos National Laboratory (U.S. Department of Energy) Major paved roads Other paved roads Technical Area boundary Site number Sites on this page not currently open to the public. 3. Slotin Building Constructed in 1946, this building supported criticality research. On May 21, 1946, a criticality accident occurred here during a type of experiment known as “tickling the dragon’s tail.” This accident led to the death of scientist Louis Slotin a few days later. 4. gun site During World War II, scientists at Gun Site conducted tests for the gun-assembled weapon designs known as Thin Man and Little Boy. Components of Little Boy were assembled here before shipment to the Pacific. Little Boy was deployed over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. 5. V Site In 1944 this site supported the first assembly work related to the Fat Man weapon design. In July 1945, V-Site was also used to assemble the high-explosives sphere for the Trinity device, known as “the Gadget.” National Park website http://www.nps.gov/mapr/index.htm Bradbury Science Museum website http://www.lanl.gov/museum Los Alamos Historical Society website http://www.losalamoshistory.org/manhattan_project.htm DOE Manhattan Project website http://www.energy.gov/manhattan Los Alamos Downtown Historic Sites Walking Tour The Manhattan Project National Historical Park tells the story of the people, the events, and the science and engineering that led to the creation of the atomic bombs that helped bring an end to World War II. Structures and landscapes from that era allow visitors to explore how the creation of these weapons changed the world and the United States’ role in the world community, and address the subsequent controversy and contribution of the Project to the annals of history and the world in which we live. visitor center In Los Alamos, the park experience is a partnership among the Department of Energy, the National Park Service, private landowners, and Los Alamos County. In Los Alamos, the Department of Energy is developing phased access to its properties that are currently inaccessible. In the interim, visitors can see the properties on this walking tour in the city center, visit the Bradbury Science Museum, and the Los Alamos History Museum. WAC Dormitory Pick up your park guide, get one of the special three-part stamps in your passport, see a short film about the Project, and pick up your Junior Ranger booklet for the kids. Welcome to your tour of Project Y, the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos Site! Fuller Lodge Hans Bethe House This memorial contains original stone from the Ranch School’s ice house, which was torn down in 1957. Project Y scientists used the ice house to assemble the nuclear components of the Trinity gadget, the first tested atomic device. Ashley Pond Ashley Pond, named after the founder of the Los Alamos Ranch School, is shown at the bottom of the page, then and now. Today it is a public park and center for community events. Los Alamos History Museum Stone Power House Built as the infirmary for the Ranch School in 1918, it later served as a guest cottage for Ranch School visitors and was Gen. Leslie Groves’ favorite place to stay in Los Alamos. This museum features exhibits on the Manhattan Project, as well as the people of Los Alamos from ancient through contemporary times. This structure was built in 1933 to house the Ranch School’s electrical generator. After remodeling it in 1944–1945, explosives expert George Kistiakowsky lived here. Hans Bethe House Women's Army Corps Dormitory wwii cafeteria Chemist Edwin McMillan and physicist Hans Bethe, both Nobel Prize winners, lived in this house. Inside, you will find the Harold Agnew Cold War galleries, part of the Los Alamos History Museum. Tickets are available at the History Museum. This dormitory housed some of the WAC staff stationed here. Now it is the privately-owned Christian Science Reading Room; no visitors, please. Fuller Lodge was built in 1928 as the dining hall for the Los Alamos Ranch School. During Project Y, the Lodge hosted community activities for lab employees. On wednesdays come explore this wonderful log building! WWII Cafeteria Ice House Memorial Oppenheimer & Groves Sculpture You can see sculptures of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific head of the Manhattan Project, and Gen. Leslie Groves, military head of the Project. Here, a community art project. Bathtub Row The homes on this street were built for the Los Alamos Ranch School and were adapted during the Manhattan Project for use by scientists. The street got its name because they were only homes in town with bathtubs during WWII Stone Power House Los Alamos History Museum Fuller Lodge Oppenheimer & Groves Sculptures Bradbury Science Museum Ashley Pond Visitor Center Start Here Restrooms Walking path Ice House Memorial Ashley Pond during Manhattan Project 200 ft. This building was the favorite mess hall for the military members of the Project. Now it is the Los Alamos Performing Arts Center. Bradbury Science Museum Over 60 interactive exhibits trace the history of the Manhattan Project, and describe Los Alamos National Laboratory's defense and technology research projects. 400 ft. Ashley Pond today