Manhattan Project National Historic Park

Oak Ridge, TN December 1, 2023

This park is unusual in that it is split into three states that do not touch each other. The sections are in Richland, WA (plutonium refinement), Oak Rodge, TN (uranium refinement) and Los Alamos, NM (building of the nuclear bombs Fat Man and Little Boy). This trip I stopped in Oak Ridge, TN however, there are not any actual designated park lands here. The visitor center is located inside a children’s museum and there are informational signs scattered throughout the city and surrounding lands. The city was built specifically for housing workers for the project and is appropriately named as there are plenty of oak trees. I hiked a couple trails along Melton Lake Greenway and in Haw Ridge Park. There was a sign warning people not to eat any fish caught in the lake as they contain hazardous levels of agents known to cause cancer. Radioactive catfish does not sound appetizing.