A Trail of Discovery and Destruction
From New Mexico to Utah to Japan, here are some places to visit and consider the legacy of Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project.
MANHATTAN PROJECT NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO
This park consists of three sites across the U.S.: Hanford, Washington (where plutonium was produced); Oak Ridge, Tennessee (where uranium was enriched); and Los Alamos, where Robert Oppenheimer and his team of scientists were based. Almost all the Los Alamos historic locations—the cabin where plutonium was researched, the building where physicist Louis Slotin suffered a fatal exposure to radiation, and others—are on restricted U.S. Department of Energy land and require a guided tour to visit. Unable to travel?
LITTLE BOY REPLICA, HISTORIC WENDOVER AIRFIELD, WENDOVER, UTAH
Completed in 2004 by truck driver, author, and nuclear archaeologist John Coster-Mullen, the Little Boy on display at the airfield museum is an exact replica of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. Coster-Mullen spent more than a decade researching its dimensions, shapes, and materials. His model even includes the signatures of the B-29 crew that trained in Wendover and flew the bomb to Hiroshima.
HIROSHIMA PEACE MEMORIAL PARK, HIROSHIMA, JAPAN
The 30-acre park offers visitors a place to mourn victims of the August 6, 1945, bombing and to learn about atomic warfare in order to prevent its recurrence. Notable structures include the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which features a panoramic photo of the city after it was bombed; the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall, which documents the bombing victims by registering names, collecting photographs, recording eyewitness accounts, and preserving written remembrances; and the Genbaku Dome, which is the only remaining structure in the blast area.
Will Hearst is the editor and publisher of Alta Journal, which he founded in 2017. He is the board chair of Hearst, one of the nation’s largest diversified media and information companies. Hearst is a grandson of company founder William Randolph Hearst.
