In a little more than a year since the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Park Service (NPS) signed an agreement establishing Manhattan Project National Historical Park (Manhattan Project NHP), great progress has been made.
As the direct descendant of the Manhattan Engineer District, DOE owns and manages the federal properties at most of the major Manhattan NHP sites, including Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The inauguration of the Manhattan NHP capped more than a decade of work and launched a new partnership between the agencies.
Numerous events took place in all three sites during the first year. Most were focused on increasing public awareness and providing access to the sites.
Oak Ridge sites:
The sites at Oak Ridge include: X-10 Graphite Reactor National Historic Landmark, a pilot nuclear reactor that produced small quantities of plutonium (part of Oak Ridge National Laboratory); the 9731 Pilot Plant and the Beta calutrons in Building 9204-3 at Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12), that housed the electromagnetic separation process for uranium enrichment; and the K-25 Building site, where gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment technology was pioneered.
Hanford
The sites at Hanford include: the B Reactor National Historic Landmark, which produced the fuel for the Trinity and “Fat Man” plutonium bombs; Hanford High School; the Hanford Construction Camp Historic District; Bruggemann's Agricultural Warehouse Complex; and White Bluffs Bank and Hanford Irrigation District Pump House, which together provide a glimpse into the history of the Hanford area before the arrival of the Manhattan Project.
Los Alamos
The Los Alamos site currently includes:
Highlights during the year: