Deaths in Los Alamos During the Manhattan Project
There are two well-known deaths that are associated with Los Alamos from the time of the Manhattan Project, Harry Daghlian and Louis Slotin. Both of these deaths were caused by criticality accidents while handling the “demon core”. What many people do not know is that there were 22 more deaths that occurred in Los Alamos […]
George T. May III and His Family’s Donation.
By Kaity Burke Did you see the article about us in the Daily Post? We had some very special guests in our archives on March 24th. Some of the remaining family of George T. May III (nicknamed Tertius) visited our archives with a donation. For decades, the family has kept Tertius’ items from his […]
Los Alamos and Daylight Savings Time
By Kaity Burke Did you know that Los Alamos was the only county in the state of New Mexico to participate in Daylight Savings Time (DST) for many years? In late April of 1946, a census was collected within Los Alamos regarding the adoption of Daylight Savings Time. In 1950 it was announced […]
Our Two Main Roads
By Kaity Burke This image was taken during the Ranch School era. The camera is facing East and you may recognize the two parallel roads. Be sure to notice where these roads merge together in the distance. Downtown Los Alamos revolves around two roads, Trinity Drive and Central Avenue. These two roads run parallel […]
Transportation and Preparation for the Atomic Bombs
By Kaity Burke We remember the Trinity test as the changing point for the future of weapons development and the course of the Second World War. The basic details are frequently talked about; it was the first major test of the implosion design, it was successful, it occurred on July 16th 1945, etc, but the […]
Otowi Site
By Kaity Burke Living on the Los Alamos Plateau always brings forth curiosities, but some of the biggest ones are our local Ancestral Puebloan Sites. No matter where you are in town you will be within a several hundred-foot proximity to ones of these sites, or at least where one used to be. Excavations and […]
Inside the Archives: MP Picnic Grounds
This month we are exploring #InsideTheArchives to rediscover a lost Los Alamos locale: Higgins Park. Do you recognize the name? Have you heard stories of this Manhattan Project-era park? The stairway leading from the mesa top to the MP picnic area in 1945 or 1946. Bingham Collection, Los Alamos Historical Society Photo Archives. A […]
Inside the Archives: Hilltop House
If you have lived in Los Alamos for very long, then it is likely you have run into someone who has used a building as a landmark when giving you directions. Now, whether that building is still in existence or the business names they use still occupy the space is a different story entirely. It […]
Inside the Archives: Homer Pickens
Come Inside the Archives with us this month to check out one of our most recent donations. These images are digitized copies of some of the slides donated by Betty Pickens Cabber, the daughter of Homer and Edna Pickens. Can you help us identify any of the people (or animals) in these photos? Homer Pickens […]
Inside the Archives: Bun Ryan
Los Alamos has many treasured community members, one of whom is Bun Ryan (Dec. 23, 1923-Sept. 29, 2014) who was named a Living Treasure of Los Alamos in 1999. Bun Ryan is famous in Los Alamos for his fast pitches as part of the Pierotti’s Clowns, but his contributions to Los Alamos history don’t end […]
