America 250: Places that tell our story
USA 250 Most Treasured Views is a USA TODAY Network- El Paso Times project exploring places across America with historical and cultural significance, created in celebration of the USA 250 initiative marking the nation’s 250th birthday.
Once a year, on the third Saturday in October, visitors to Trinity Site in New Mexico can walk among the radioactive remains of the place where the United States introduced the world to the Atomic Age. And while the blast at 5:29:45 a.m. Mountain War Time on July 16, 1945, marked the debut of history’s most terrifying weapon, ultimately used against Japan, people should consider the repercussions of what might have been if Nazi Germany, Japan or the Soviet Union had developed the bomb first. Visitors can reflect on the legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project while visiting the site in White Sands Missile Range.
Location / State
Trinity Site is in White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
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Why it matters
Touring Trinity Site offers insight into the birth of the Atomic Age and the conditions under which the world’s first nuclear weapon was built and detonated. The presence of trinitite shows how something new can be created even by the destructive power of a terrifying man-made weapon. Visitors also can stand at ground zero and contemplate the impact of the site’s nuclear legacy.
What to see today
Visitors to the site, whose overall 51,500 acres were declared a national historic landmark in 1975, can see base camp remnants, the ground zero obelisk that marks where the bomb was placed, the McDonald Ranch House where scientists assembled the plutonium core, and the “Jumbo” vessel built to contain plutonium in case the test didn’t go as planned. “Jumbo” ultimately was not used. There also is trinitite, the glassy “atomic rock” created by the blast that is composed of fused quartz, feldspar and bomb debris, according to Oak Ridge Associated Universities. It has low-level radiation and is illegal to take.
More things to do in the region
The Owl Bar & Café in nearby San Antonio, New Mexico, has a claim to fame for its green chile burgers. Buy a T-shirt while you’re at it. The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, near San Antonio, offers beautiful lake views, plenty of birds and abundant photographic opportunities. If you’re up for a drive, White Sands National Park, a little less than two hours away by car, has stunning views of gypsum dunes. The New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo has enlightening exhibits on the U.S. space race. Plan your visit
Best time: Beat the crowd by getting to the site in time for the 8 a.m. opening. The weather there in October is usually pleasant, but bring a hat, a long-sleeved shirt to block the sun, and comfortable walking shoes.
Hours/admission: The free open house begins at 8 a.m. Oct. 17; the gate closes at 2 p.m. The event ends at 3:30 p.m. The International Space Hall of Fame Foundation offers a motor coach tour for $155. Visit https://www.spacehalloffame.org.
Getting there: Visitors must enter through Stallion Gate, off U.S. Highway 380. Visitors must have a valid government-issued photo ID, vehicle registration and proof of insurance. Do not use GPS to get to Trinity Site. The Army has directions at https://home.army.mil/wsmr/contact/public-affairs-office/trinity-site-open-house.
Learn more: Get an informative Army PDF on Trinity Site at https://home.army.mil/wsmr/3316/8020/2958/T-site_brochure_S.pdf, read about “Jumbo” at https://www.atomicarchive.com/history/trinity/jumbo.html, learn more about the Atomic Age at Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ https://www.orau.org/health-physics-museum/index.html, and more from the National Park Service on Oppenheimer at https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/the-life-of-j-robert-oppenheimer-after-the-manhattan-project.htm.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Visit Trinity Site in New Mexico where the world entered the Atomic Age
Reporting by Samuel Gaytan, Special to the Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Samuel Gaytan, Special to the Times | USA TODAY Network
