High Mountain Doings: Trinity Site, New Mexico

This is the Trinity Site in New Mexico, east and a little south of Socorro, which in turn is south of Albuquerque. At this place, on July 16, 1945, the first atom bomb was tested.

I drove down there on Friday, April 4, 2008, stayed in Socorro, and visited the site the next morning. I regret the use of atom bombs, but this is a historical site and the testing process was fascinating. I'm glad to have visited. The Trinity Site, on the extensive grounds of the White Sands Missile Range, is only open two days each year. Next is the first Saturday in October.

The marker was the place of the actual blast, now 62 years ago. Note that the area is still dish-shaped.

Another view of the marker at the blast site.

After the explosion, Trinity Site was covered with "trinitite," a greenish glass formed from melted desert sand. Most has been scraped up and buried. What remains is inside this shed. It used to be visible through the opening that's visible. But the trinitite got covered by sand and isn't visible, so the window was closed.

This is a casing from a "Fat Man" type atomic bomb. There were over a hundred of these stockpiled once, around the beginning of the "cold war."

This is Jumbo, made in Ohio and moved by train and truck to the Trinity Site. At one time, the scientists planned to put the atomic bomb in here, thinking that if the high explosives went off but the main bomb didn't, Jumbo would prevent radioactive material from being blown all over the area. But confidence grew in the bomb, and Jumbo was never used.

Later, it was filled with explosives and both ends were blown off. It was moved to its present location at the gate, having been rather close to where the bomb was tested. Jumbo withstood the blast, but the tower it was on was vaporized!

This is an older house immediately east of the McDonald ranch house, pictured below.

The McDonald ranch house, two miles south of the Trinity Site. In the front room, where the people are entering, is the room where the plutonium core of the bomb was assembled.

The room where the bomb core was assembled.

The McDonald ranch house. The ranch was abandoned in 1942, then used as described above in 1945. Since then it has been restored.

Here is the gate through the outer fence, and the walkway toward the blast site. It was as busy as a New York City sidewalk on this day--and will be deserted until the next open day in October.

The full parking lot. Many people were visiting. In most years on visiting day in April, the number of visitors centers around 3000. Sometimes a few hundred more. Sometimes about that many less.