Baxterville in Lamar County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Projects Dribble and Miracle Play
United States Department of Defense Advance Research Projects Agency
— Dr. E. Rectin, Director —
Experiments in the Vela Uniform Program sponsored jointly by the Department of Defense and the Atomic Energy Commission were conducted below this spot at a depth of 2700 and 2715 feet in salt. A 33 kiloton nuclear devise was detonated on October 22, 1964, known as the Salmon Event which was the first of the Dribble Series to evaluate the decoupling principle and to study seismic wave propagation in the southeast United States. A 380-ton nuclear device was detonated on December 3, 1964, known as the Sterling Event objective of this experiment was to determine the extent of decoupling of a cavity in salt and the accuracy of decoupling calculations.
The Miracle Play series consisted of two gas explosions which were conducted in the cavity on February 3, 1969, and April 19, 1970. The objectives of these experiments were to determine the decoupling effect of explosions in an open cavity and the reduction in decoupling caused by overdriving a cavity.
Rear marker
No excavation, drilling and/or removal of materials is permitted without U.S. Government permission to penetrate into the subsurface below the 1470 acre tract situated within Sections 11, 12, 13 and 14, T2N, R16W St. Stephens Meridian, Mississippi.
Erected by United States Department of Defense.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Military • Notable Events • Science & Medicine • War, Cold. A significant historical date for this entry is October 22, 1964.
Location. 31° 8.539′ N, 89° 34.204′ W. Marker is in Baxterville, Mississippi, in Lamar County. Marker can be reached from Tatum Salt Dome Road, 5 miles north of State Highway 13. See comments for location information. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lumberton MS 39455, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Bay Creek Baptist Church (approx. 2.1 miles away); Purvis (approx. 9˝ miles away); Baylis Chapel Methodist Church (approx. 11˝ miles away); Simmons Cemetery (approx. 11˝ miles away); U.S. Post Office (approx. 12 miles away); Old West Florida (approx. 12.1 miles away).
More about this marker. Site is under control of the Mississippi Forestry Department. Site is *LEGALLY* accessible ONLY under the guidance and supervision of a Forestry agent, and appointment is necessary. Recommend making appointment a few days before, if visiting the site.
4WD recommended or ride with agent.
The agent who supervised me was extremely nice, and very knowledgeable of the site and area history.
There are rules to entering which will be explained before your visit.
Also see . . . Salmon Site Wikipedia link. (Submitted on May 6, 2022, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 6, 2022, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 316 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 6, 2022, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.