The Great Depression hit rural New Mexico hard in the 1930s. When the Civilian Conservation Corps, known as the CCC, offered jobs, three meals a day, and medical care, young men jumped at the opportunity.
Established by President Franklin D. . . . — — Map (db m314693) HM
This amphitheater shares one of the many stories from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) meticulous work in Bandelier National Monument. Between 1934 and 1941, young men of the CCC used this site as a rock quarry for construction projects . . . — — Map (db m314692) HM
Near Unnamed path, on the right when traveling north.
Dwellings of many sizes are spread across the mesas and canyons of Bandelier. Some, like the small site here, were seasonal homes or field houses occupied during the summer while crops were tended. The Ancestral Pueblo people grew corn, beans, and . . . — — Map (db m264491) HM
Fire has always been a part of this ecosystem. Historically, lightning strikes caused low-intensity fires here about every fifteen years. Recently several large fires, caused by human activity, have made dramatic changes to the area. The Las Conchas . . . — — Map (db m314273) HM
On Bathtub Row south of Peach Street, on the right when traveling north.
"Los Alamos became a magical place...one had only to walk along the piρon-covered promontory to look over the Pajarito Plateau and the Rio Grande Valley." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
"Whenever things went wrong at Los Alamos, and there was . . . — — Map (db m269944) HM
Near Juniper Street just west of 19th Street. Reported permanently removed.
Albert J. Connell In Lieu Entry: October 1930 Ashley Pond bought H. H. Brook's ranch in January 1917. That same year, Pond hired Albert J. (A. J.) Connell to be the director of the newly formed Los Alamos Ranch School. The school did not own all the . . . — — Map (db m156673) HM
In the 1200s, this site was home to a group of Tewa-speaking people who may have come from Mesa Verde or Chaco Canyon. They built structures with blocks of tuff (welded volcanic ash). This building was two stories high and contained bedrooms, . . . — — Map (db m269719) HM
On Central Avenue at Bathtub Row, on the left when traveling west on Central Avenue.
Homesteaders in the early 20th century used a small depression in the landscape on this site, fed by snow melt and rainfall, for watering stock. Then in 1923, the Ranch School constructed a low dam in Los Alamos Canyon, dredged out the depression, . . . — — Map (db m269951) HM
On 19th Street south of Pecan Drive, on the right when traveling south.
When the top-secret World War II Manhattan Project took over the Los Alamos Ranch School, housing for the hundreds and then thousands of people pouring into town was limited. The army constructed dormitories and apartments; it brought in trailers, . . . — — Map (db m269729) HM
On Central Avenue at 15th Street, on the right when traveling west on Central Avenue.
When the first museum for Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (now Los Alamos National Laboratory) appeared in 1954 in an old ice house on the banks of Ashley Pond, its collection contained classified materials and it was not open to the general . . . — — Map (db m269987) HM
On Central Avenue at Bathtub Row, on the right when traveling west on Central Avenue.
These sculptures of the Laboratory Director (Oppenheimer) and the Military Director (Groves) of the Manhattan Project, were designed to memorialize the historic photo of the two men standing at Ground Zero at Trinity Site after the successful . . . — — Map (db m269947) HM
On Juniper Street at 19th Street on Juniper Street.
In the 1920s, Los Alamos Ranch School Director A. J. Connell hired local homesteader Severo Gonzales Sr. to build this stone firehouse. It housed a cart with a water tank, pump, and hose for extinguishing fires that were a danger due to droughts and . . . — — Map (db m269716) HM
On Juniper Street at 19th Street on Juniper Street.
A thousand years ago, the first peoples on the Pajarito Plateau were hunter-gatherers who sought game and piρon nuts, along with obsidian from the nearby Valles Caldera. Beginning in the 1200s, the Ancestral Pueblo people began settling the area, . . . — — Map (db m269713) HM
Near Central Avenue at Bathtub Row, on the right when traveling west. Reported permanently removed.
Fuller Lodge was built in 1928 as the Ranch School dining room and kitchen. It also served as guest's and nurse's quarters and contained apartments for staff. Named for Edward P. Fuller, a staff member at the Ranch School, it is made of 771 massive . . . — — Map (db m196722) HM
On 19th Street at Nectar Drive, on the right when traveling south on 19th Street.
The original dwelling on this site, a small staff cottage for the Los Alamos Ranch School, burned in 1931. The replacement stone home served the school's finance director, Fred Rousseau. During World War II, Edwin McMillan, who won the 1951 Nobel . . . — — Map (db m269740) HM
Near Juniper Street just west of 19th Street. Reported permanently removed.
Harold H. Brook Homestead Entry: August 1908 Los Alamos Ranch School Purchase: 1917 Harold Hemingway Brook was an agronomist from Illinois who came to Santa Fe for treatment of tuberculosis. He recovered enough to apply for homestead entry in . . . — — Map (db m156686) HM
On Central Avenue at Bathtub Row on Central Avenue.
As the Los Alamos Ranch School grew in enrollment and prestige in the 1920s, director A.J. Connell wanted additional space to serve his students and staff. He hired architect John Gaw Meem, who was early in his career, to design the new building. . . . — — Map (db m269946) HM
On 19th Street at Nectar Street when traveling south on 19th Street.
Each student at the Los Alamos Ranch School (1917-1943) was assigned a horse, responsible for its care, and required to learn horsemanship. Since the Ranch School curriculum included Scouting, they established Troop 22 in Los Alamos, and was the . . . — — Map (db m269733) HM
Near Juniper Street just west of 19th Street. Reported permanently removed.
The human history on the Pajarito Plateau goes back at least 10,000 years. Paleoindians first hunted its forests; millennia later, Pueblo Indians farmed its broad mesas before abandoning their settlements for locations along the Rio Grande. The . . . — — Map (db m156599) HM
On Trinity Drive (New Mexico Route 502) 0.1 miles west of 20th Street, on the right when traveling west. Reported permanently removed.
Today a memorial stands at the site of the original Ice House. During World War II, nuclear components of the Trinity device (a prototype nuclear weapon) were assembled here to be detonated later at Trinity Site 255 miles south near Socorro, New . . . — — Map (db m156695) HM
On Trinity Drive (Old New Mexico Route 520) west of 19th Street.
This memorial marks the site of the Los Alamos Ranch School Ice House, used to store blocks cut from Ashley Pond when winter ice grew to a foot thickness. The original building was made of logs. In the mid-1920s, a stone building replaced the wooden . . . — — Map (db m269954) HM
On Canyon Road 0.1 miles east of Central Ave, on the left when traveling east.
Volcanic eruptions from more than a million years ago and subsequent erosion formed the Pajarito (little bird) Plateau. From the top of Pajarito Mountain to the Rio Grande at the bottom of White Rock Canyon, the plateau's mountainsides, mesas, and . . . — — Map (db m270030) HM
On E Road (State Highway 502) east of Eastgate Drive, on the right when traveling west.
Located near the ancient Indian sites of the Pajarito Plateau, Los Alamos is one of New Mexico's newest towns. In 1942 a boys ranch school became the headquarters of the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the atomic bomb. Los Alamos . . . — — Map (db m196361) HM
On Trinity Drive (New Mexico Route 502) 0.1 miles west of 20th Street, on the right when traveling west.
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a multi-disciplinary laboratory operated by the University of California for the Department of Energy. It encompasses more than 43 square miles of mesas and canyons in northern New Mexico. The laboratory has a . . . — — Map (db m156698) HM
On Central Avenue east of 20th Street, on the left when traveling east.
[Top plaque]
A Registered Cultural Property
State of New Mexico
U.S. Post Office
Los Alamos
Built 1948
Los Alamos' original permanent
U.S. Post Office. It is the last
remaining portion of the original
community center . . . — — Map (db m196711) HM
On East Road east of Camino Entrada, on the right when traveling west.
In 1943, this site was the east entry gate to the "secret city" of Los Alamos, home of the Manhattan Project, which required credentials for entry until 1957.
In 1986, Sunrise Kiwanis recognized the need for a place for campers to park while . . . — — Map (db m269609) HM
On 19th Street south of Nectar Street, on the left when traveling south.
From 1917 until 1948, the Los Alamos Ranch School dormitory, known as the Big House-because it was the largest building on the Pajarito Plateau when it was built-stood near this site. While students had desks and dressers in their rooms, they slept . . . — — Map (db m269723) HM
On Trinity Drive (New Mexico Route 502) 0.1 miles west of 20th Street, on the right when traveling west.
Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory has been designated a Registered National Historic Landmark Under the provisions of the Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935 this site possesses exceptional value in commemorating or illustrating the . . . — — Map (db m156699) HM
On Central Avenue just west of 20th Street, on the right when traveling west.
Two gifted WWII leaders whose unique partnership won the wartime race to build an atomic bomb Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer Laboratory Director Los Alamos Laboratory 1942-1945 General Leslie R. Groves Commanding General Manhattan Engineer . . . — — Map (db m156700) HM
On Nectar Street at 17th Street, on the right when traveling west on Nectar Street.
One of the few remaining World War II-era buildings in Los Alamos, the Performing Arts Center (PAC) was originally built as the East Cafeteria, serving members of the military during the Manhattan Project. The Los Alamos community often struggled to . . . — — Map (db m269956) HM
Originally constructed for Bruns General Army Hospital in Santa Fe in 1943, this chapel was moved to Los Alamos in 1947 as the military turned over the Manhattan Project base to the newly formed Atomic Energy Commission. It is one of 604 such . . . — — Map (db m270004) HM
On Peach Street at 17th Street, on the left when traveling north on Peach Street.
Built during the Manhattan Project, this 40-person dormitory is one of the few remaining World War Il-era buildings in Los Alamos. Construction drawings date from April 1943. Dormitory buildings like this one housed single military men and . . . — — Map (db m270031) HM
On 20th Street south of Central Ave, on the right when traveling south.
In 2004, President George W. Bush signed legislation for the National Park Service (NPS) to investigate whether the Manhattan Project - an ambitious scientific and engineering endeavor that forever changed the world - should be the subject of an NPS . . . — — Map (db m269949) HM
Near Juniper Street just west of 19th Street. Reported permanently removed.
Martha Brook Homestead Entry: August 1913 Los Alamos Ranch School Purchase: 1920 Martha Brook was Harold Brook's mother. Brook applied for homestead entry in Martha's name in August 1913 for 150 acres of what is now Eastern Area, the airport, and . . . — — Map (db m156687) HM
Gardens have graced the area adjacent to Fuller Lodge since the days of the Los Alamos Ranch School. As early as 1930, Helen Sulier, the school's nurse, created a small flower garden near this site. Ranch School students, staff, and families fondly . . . — — Map (db m269710) HM WM
On Bathtub Row at Oppenheimer Drive, on the left when traveling north on Bathtub Row.
Skiing has always been a favorite pastime for Los Alamos residents. Ranch School boys trudged up Sawyer's Hill and skied the short incline. During the Manhattan Project, European scientists, accustomed to spending winters on the slopes, built a rope . . . — — Map (db m269708) HM
On Trinity Drive (State Road 502) at 20th Street on Trinity Drive.
Peggy Pond Church, author of the Southwest classic The House at Otowi Bridge and daughter of Los Alamos Ranch School founder Ashley Pond, will forever be The First Lady of New Mexican Poetry. As she rode the Pajarito Plateau and camped . . . — — Map (db m280156) HM
On Central Avenue at 15th Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Central Avenue.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorists flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the west face of the Pentagon, taking 184 lives. This block of limestone, recovered from the damaged structure, is one of the Laboratory's memorials to the . . . — — Map (db m270012) WM
On Central Avenue east of 20th Street, on the left when traveling east.
During World War II, mail to Los Alamos residents was simply addressed to P.O. Box 1663, Santa Fe, New Mexico. When the Manhattan Project's existence was made known to the outside world in 1945, the Secret City could again use its Los Alamos . . . — — Map (db m196708) HM
On Bathtub Row at Juniper Street, on the left when traveling north on Bathtub Row.
This stone building, which replaced a wooden one that burned in 1933, housed the Los Alamos Ranch School's electrical generators. Foreman Jim Womelsduff and his assistants had to maintain the diesel power plant, which included disassembling it on a . . . — — Map (db m269709) HM
On Juniper Street at 19th Street on Juniper Street.
Victor Romero built his first homestead cabin on a nearby mesa in 1913. The Romero family rebuilt the cabin around twenty years later. Their homestead was appropriated by the government in 1942, and the cabin was moved here in the 1980s — — Map (db m269714) HM
On Bathhouse Row at Juniper Street on Bathhouse Row.
Floyd Womelsduff, the chief mechanic at the Ranch School, built this house for himself and his mother in 1925. They lived here throughout the Ranch School era. When the Manhattan Project arrived, the cabin served as emergency housing for essential . . . — — Map (db m269705) HM
On 19th Street at Nectar Street, on the right when traveling south on 19th Street.
The Los Alamos Ranch School dormitory, known as the Big House because it was the largest building on the Pajarito Plateau, stood near this site from 1917 until 1948. Students slept on unheated, screened porches no matter what the weather. The dorm, . . . — — Map (db m269722) HM
On Bathtub Row south of Peach Street, on the right when traveling north.
The History is Here campaign was a major fundraising effort conducted by the Los Alamos Historical Society during 2012-2016. Our motivation was to enable the preservation and communication of the remarkable history and inspiring stories of Los . . . — — Map (db m269945) HM
Los Alamos Ranch School director A.J. Connell originally built this stone cottage for his sister May, a painter who taught art and music at the school. The large, bright living room doubled as her studio.
During the Manhattan Project, from 1943 . . . — — Map (db m269736) HM
Near Juniper Street just west of 19th Street. Reported permanently removed.
Among those tempted by the Homestead Act of 1862, which offered free land in exchange for the successful establishment of a farmstead, was Victor Romero. In 1913 he applied for 15 acres of land that is now within the boundaries of Los Alamos . . . — — Map (db m156598) HM
During WWII, the US government encouraged citizens to plant victory gardens. Growing food, instead of buying it, meant there was more farm-grown food available to send to troops overseas. Growing a victory garden gave families fresh produce, a . . . — — Map (db m269942) HM
Inside you'll learn about Los Alamos during the Cold War, an era of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union that began after World War II and lasted until 1991. It was a "cold" war because, despite ongoing . . . — — Map (db m269943) HM
Near Juniper Street just west of 19th Street. Reported permanently removed.
William Mackwood Hopper Homestead Entry: August 1908 Harold H. Brook Purchase: 1914 Los Alamos Ranch School Purchase: 1917 William Mackwood Hopper met Harold Brook when they both lived in Santa Fe. In August 1908, four days after Brook applied for . . . — — Map (db m156681) HM
On Rose Street at Circle Drive, on the left when traveling east on Rose Street.
"During Project Y housing was top priority, and the army saw fit not to supply Los Alamos with either a Chapel or, at first, a chaplain. It was more than a year after the end of the war when General Groves (commander of the Manhattan District) . . . — — Map (db m270025) HM
From 1150 to 1550 CE the Ancestral Pueblo people called this area home and did much of their farming here. On these dry mesas, creative water saving techniques were used to survive in this arid landscape. This area holds deep spiritual and . . . — — Map (db m316024) HM
Near Coopers Hawk Road north of Stock Trail, on the right when traveling west.
Corn, beans, and squash were grown as food staples and stored for leaner times. Knowledge of native plants was essential. This Piρon-Juniper Woodland provided important sources of food like nuts and berries. Three-leaf Sumac (Lemonade Bush) has . . . — — Map (db m316025) HM
Near Alcove House north of Stock Trail, on the left when traveling east.
This circular structure, with its wide view of the surrounding landscape, may have been a sacred area a place of prayer and ritual for successful farming and generous rain. The San Miguel Mountains erupted over a million years ago and formed . . . — — Map (db m316026) HM
Near State Highway 4, on the right when traveling east.
From here you have an excellent view of Tyuonyi (pronounced QU-weh-nee). The circular village had about 300 to 400 rooms, built of hand-hewn stone blocks. Rooms were small, and most were entered by ladders through openings in flat roofs. Similar . . . — — Map (db m314271) HM
