ATOMIC ATTRACTIONS
As we approach the 75th anniversary of the first atomic bomb test — conducted on July 16, 1945, at New Mexico’s Trinity Site — here are some suggestions for ways and places to connect with nuclear history.
Remember that due to COVID-19 restrictions, situations rapidly change. Check for updates on venues and events by phoning or going online.
Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, 2000 Mountain NW, 505-243-7255, albuquerquemuseum.org: The museum is closed, but you can do an online tour of “Trinity: Reflections on the Bomb,” artists’ visions of the atomic bomb test.
Bradbury Science Museum, 1350 Central Ave., Los Alamos, 505-667-4444, lanl.gov/museum: Closed now due to COVID-19, but virtual tour is available.
Dorothy McKibbin check-in station, 109 East Palace Ave., Santa Fe: A business now, but Manhattan Project scientists stopped here on the way from the Lamy railroad station to Los Alamos to get security passes from “gatekeeper” Dorothy McKibbin. A plaque marks the building’s place in history.
Los Alamos Manhattan Project National Park, 475 20th St., Los Alamos, 505-661-6277, nps.gov/mapr (click on Los Alamos): Sites related to Manhattan Project work at Los Alamos. Closed now due to COVID-19 restrictions.
National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, 601 Eubank SE, Albuquerque, 505-245-2137, nuclearmuseum.org: The museum’s interior building is closed to the public, but Heritage Park, the 9-acre outdoor exhibit, and the museum store are open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Admission is $5, children 5 and younger free.
Spy House, 209 High NE, Albuquerque, 505-238-0308, albuquerquebedandbreakfasts.com: Now a bed-and-breakfast, this house was the site of a June 1945 exchange of atomic bomb information between spy David Greenglass and Soviet Union contact Harry Gold.
Trinity Site, White Sands Missile Range, 575-678-1134, www. wsmr.army.mil: Free tours of the site where the first atomic bomb test took place on the first Saturday in April and October. As of press time, the Oct. 3 tour is still scheduled. Go to website and click on Trinity Site for details and directions.
Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, trinitydownwinders. com: Organization founded in 2005 to monitor diseases affecting communities near the Trinity Test Site and to seek justice and compensation for victims. Go to website for information on virtual event recognizing 75th anniversary of atomic bomb test.