The government’s detonation of the first in a series of nuclear bombs at its newly established test site in Nevada underscores the persistent significance of the West in nuclear weapon development.
Despite the West having long been lagging in technological and industrial progress compared to the rest of the nation, the enormous project during World War II to create the first atomic bomb propelled the region into the 20th century.
Referred to as the Manhattan Project, this ambitious R&D initiative invested millions of federal dollars into new research facilities in the West, such as the bomb construction laboratory located in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and the fissionable material production center in Hanford, Washington. Ironically, the very challenges that had previously hindered technological advancement in the West transformed into advantages—vast stretches of unpopulated federal land allowed for dangerous experiments to be conducted in secret.
Following the war, the West remained the preferred location for Cold War-era nuclear testing for similar reasons. In December 1950, the Atomic Energy Commission identified a considerable expanse of uninhabited desert land, located 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, as the Nevada Proving Ground for atmospheric atomic testing. The government detonated its initial atomic device on this site on January 27, 1951, resulting in a massive explosion, with the flash visible as far as San Francisco.
Atmospheric tests continued at the Nevada site for an additional six years. The government examined the effects on humans by placing ground troops merely 2,500 yards from ground zero and moving them even closer shortly after the explosion. However, by 1957, concerns about the effects of radioactivity on soldiers and the nearby population prompted the government to shift to underground bomb testing, leading to the cessation of all atmospheric tests by 1962.
In recent times, the negative impact on soldiers and western residents exposed to radiation from the Nevada test site has sparked significant debate. Critics allege that the government conducted a “nuclear war on the West,” asserting that it was aware of the dangers faced by people living near the test site well prior to the transition to underground tests in 1957. Conversely, others emphasize that the test site has generated billions of dollars for the state, bringing substantial economic benefits to Nevada.
