George McDonald Ranch House Near TheTrinity Atomic Bomb Site!
Where The Final Assembly Of The
First Atomic Bomb Was Completed!
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico.
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October 1, 2011
October 1, 2011
Google Map To George McDonald Ranch House Near Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
Where The First Atomic Bomb Was Assembled!
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico.
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George McDonald / Schmidt Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico.
Where The Final Assembly Of The First Atomic Bomb Took Place! 
George McDonald / Schmidt Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico.
Where The Final Assembly Of The First Atomic Bomb Took Place!
George McDonald / Schmidt Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico.
Where The Final Assembly Of The First Atomic Bomb Took Place!
We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the images and information on this page. We share information with Wikipedia.
The McDonald Ranch House was the location of assembly for the first tested nuclear weapon. The test occurred on July 16, 1945; a plutonium bomb was tested, the type of weapon later dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. The weapon used against Hiroshima was a uranium bomb, a type not tested prior to its use in World War II, because it had a simpler design.
The "gadget" was assembled there, the components having arrived on July 12. It was assembled on the next day, and winched up the Trinity test tower the following day.
The George McDonald Ranch House sits within an 85' x 85' low stone wall. The house was built in 1913 by Franz Schmidt, a German immigrant, and an addition was constructed on the north side in the 1930s by the McDonalds. There is a display on the Schmidt family in the house during each open house.
The ranch house is a one-story, 1,750-square-foot (163 m2) building. It is built of adobe, which was plastered and painted. An ice house is located on the west side, along with an underground cistern which stored rain water running off the roof. At one time, the north addition contained a toilet and bathtub, which drained into a septic tank northwest of the house.
There is a large, divided water storage tank and a Chicago Aermotor windmill east of the house. The scientists and support people used the north tank as a swimming pool during the long hot summer of 1945. South of the windmill are the remains of a bunkhouse and a barn which was part garage. Further to the east are corrals and holding pens. The buildings and fixtures east of the house have been stabilized to prevent further deterioration.
The ranch was evacuated under protest in 1942, when the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range took over the land to use in training World War II bombing crews. The house stood empty until the Manhattan Project support personnel arrived in early 1945.
Delivery of the plutonium core for the Gadget to the assembly room in the McDonald Ranch House.
Inside the house, the northeast room (the master bedroom) was designated the assembly room. Workbenches and tables were installed. To keep dust and sand out of instruments and tools, the windows were covered with plastic. Tape was used to fasten the edges of the plastic and to seal doors and cracks in the walls.
The explosion, only two miles away, did not significantly damage the house. Most of the windows were blown out, but the main structure was intact. Years of rain water dripping through holes in the roof did much more damage. The barn did not do as well. During the Trinity test, the roof was bowed inward and some of the roofing was blown away. The roof has since collapsed.
The house stood empty and deteriorating until 1982, when the U.S. Army stabilized the house to prevent any further damage. Shortly after, the Department of Energy and U.S. Army provided the funds for the National Park Service to completely restore the house. The work was completed in 1984. All efforts were directed at making the house appear as it did on July 12, 1945.
THIS SITE IS ONLY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, TWO DAYS OF THE YEAR: 1ST SATURDAY OF APRIL & 1ST SATURDAY OF OCTOBER!
How To Get There:
(1) Stallion Gate Entrance - Exit I-25 on mile marker 139 (San Antonio, N.M.) and head 12 miles east or exit Highway 54 onto Highway 380 and head west 53 miles of Carrizozo, N.M. Turn on the Stallion Gate entrance and head south five miles of Highway 380.The gate is opened from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Visitors are allowed to enter and exit unescorted anytime during these special days.
(2) Alamogordo Alternative - The Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce sponsors a convoy for visitors that desire a tour. The Alamogordo caravan meeting site will be at the Tularosa High School Athletic Field Parking lot. Turn west off Hwy. 54/70 in Tularosa at Higuero St. Proceed west to La Luz Ave. Turn right on La Luz Ave. (north) to athletic field. Line up will begin at 7 a.m. Caravan departs at 8 a.m. Visitors entering this way will travel as an escorted group to and from Trinity Site. The drive is 145 miles roundtrip and there are no service station facilities on the missile range. The convoy is scheduled to leave Trinity Site at 12:30 or 1 p.m., depending on its size, for the return to Tularosa. The convoy may leave later if there is a large number of vehicles returning.
Cameras are allowed at Trinity Site but their use is strictly prohibited anywhere else on White Sands Missile Range.
For more information contact the missile range Public Affairs Office at (575) 678-1134.
For more information about the construction of the first atomic bomb, we suggest going to our pages about the Trinity Site, and also the Bradbury Museum, And The Los Alamos Historical Museum In Los Alamos.
If you are planning to visit . And if you are coming from outside of New Mexico, you could fly into Albuquerque International Sunport and then rent a car.
Albuquerque International Sunport (IATA: ABQ, ICAO: KABQ, FAA LID: ABQ) is a public airport located 3 miles (5 km) southeast of the central business district of Albuquerque, a city in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. It is the largest commercial airport in the state
We actually found it easier to stay in nearby Socorro, New Mexico at the Holiday Inn Express.
There are many hotels and motels in New Mexico and Colorado, and if you need a place to stay; Priceline.com can arrange that for you.
We have personally, booked flights, hotels, and vacations; through Priceline.com and we can highly recommend them. Their website is also easy to use!
We have some links to Priceline.com on this page since they can arrange all of your air flights, hotels and car.
We of course, appreciate your use of the advertising on our pages, since it helps us to keep our pages active.
Whenever you make a purchase from a link on our page we get credit for that transaction. Again, Thanks!
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. 
Plutonium Room - Old Master Bedroom
Of The McDonald Ranch House.
Where Plutonium Was Placed Into The "Gadget."
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. Plutonium Room - Old Master Bedroom
Of The McDonald Ranch House.
Where Plutonium Was Placed Into The "Gadget."
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. 
Plutonium Room - Old Master Bedroom
Of The McDonald Ranch House.
Where Plutonium Was Placed Into The "Gadget."
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. Plutonium Room - Old Master Bedroom
Of The McDonald Ranch House.
Where Plutonium Was Placed Into The "Gadget."
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. 
A Room In
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. A Room In
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. 
A Room In
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. A Room In
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. 
A Room In
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. A Room In
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. 
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. 
Wind Mill Tower. The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. Windmill Sails Fan Collapsed A Few Years Ago
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. 
Chimney Blown Over By Blast, Now Repaired.
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. 
Old Barn, Was Partially Destroyed.
The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. Corral At The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. 
Sgt. Herbert Lehr Delivering The Plutonium Core
For The Gadget In Its Shock - Mounted Carrying Case
To The Assembly Room In The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico.
Courtesy: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sgt. Herbert Lehr On Left
Delivering The Plutonium Core
For The Gadget In Its Shock - Mounted Carrying Case
To The McDonald Ranch House.
Trinity Atomic Bomb Site.
White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico.
Courtesy: Bradbury Museum.
Click On Any Of The Following Links By Amazon.Com
For Books Or Videos About The Atomic Bomb. No Obligation!
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Send E-Mail to: George DeLange: [email protected]
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| George McDonald / Schmidt Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. Where The Final Assembly Of The First Atomic Bomb Took Place! |
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| George McDonald / Schmidt Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. Where The Final Assembly Of The First Atomic Bomb Took Place! |
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| George McDonald / Schmidt Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. Where The Final Assembly Of The First Atomic Bomb Took Place! |
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We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the images and information on this page. We share information with Wikipedia. The McDonald Ranch House was the location of assembly for the first tested nuclear weapon. The test occurred on July 16, 1945; a plutonium bomb was tested, the type of weapon later dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. The weapon used against Hiroshima was a uranium bomb, a type not tested prior to its use in World War II, because it had a simpler design. The "gadget" was assembled there, the components having arrived on July 12. It was assembled on the next day, and winched up the Trinity test tower the following day. The George McDonald Ranch House sits within an 85' x 85' low stone wall. The house was built in 1913 by Franz Schmidt, a German immigrant, and an addition was constructed on the north side in the 1930s by the McDonalds. There is a display on the Schmidt family in the house during each open house. The ranch house is a one-story, 1,750-square-foot (163 m2) building. It is built of adobe, which was plastered and painted. An ice house is located on the west side, along with an underground cistern which stored rain water running off the roof. At one time, the north addition contained a toilet and bathtub, which drained into a septic tank northwest of the house. There is a large, divided water storage tank and a Chicago Aermotor windmill east of the house. The scientists and support people used the north tank as a swimming pool during the long hot summer of 1945. South of the windmill are the remains of a bunkhouse and a barn which was part garage. Further to the east are corrals and holding pens. The buildings and fixtures east of the house have been stabilized to prevent further deterioration. The ranch was evacuated under protest in 1942, when the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range took over the land to use in training World War II bombing crews. The house stood empty until the Manhattan Project support personnel arrived in early 1945. Delivery of the plutonium core for the Gadget to the assembly room in the McDonald Ranch House. Inside the house, the northeast room (the master bedroom) was designated the assembly room. Workbenches and tables were installed. To keep dust and sand out of instruments and tools, the windows were covered with plastic. Tape was used to fasten the edges of the plastic and to seal doors and cracks in the walls. The explosion, only two miles away, did not significantly damage the house. Most of the windows were blown out, but the main structure was intact. Years of rain water dripping through holes in the roof did much more damage. The barn did not do as well. During the Trinity test, the roof was bowed inward and some of the roofing was blown away. The roof has since collapsed. The house stood empty and deteriorating until 1982, when the U.S. Army stabilized the house to prevent any further damage. Shortly after, the Department of Energy and U.S. Army provided the funds for the National Park Service to completely restore the house. The work was completed in 1984. All efforts were directed at making the house appear as it did on July 12, 1945. THIS SITE IS ONLY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, TWO DAYS OF THE YEAR: 1ST SATURDAY OF APRIL & 1ST SATURDAY OF OCTOBER! How To Get There: (1) Stallion Gate Entrance - Exit I-25 on mile marker 139 (San Antonio, N.M.) and head 12 miles east or exit Highway 54 onto Highway 380 and head west 53 miles of Carrizozo, N.M. Turn on the Stallion Gate entrance and head south five miles of Highway 380.The gate is opened from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Visitors are allowed to enter and exit unescorted anytime during these special days. (2) Alamogordo Alternative - The Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce sponsors a convoy for visitors that desire a tour. The Alamogordo caravan meeting site will be at the Tularosa High School Athletic Field Parking lot. Turn west off Hwy. 54/70 in Tularosa at Higuero St. Proceed west to La Luz Ave. Turn right on La Luz Ave. (north) to athletic field. Line up will begin at 7 a.m. Caravan departs at 8 a.m. Visitors entering this way will travel as an escorted group to and from Trinity Site. The drive is 145 miles roundtrip and there are no service station facilities on the missile range. The convoy is scheduled to leave Trinity Site at 12:30 or 1 p.m., depending on its size, for the return to Tularosa. The convoy may leave later if there is a large number of vehicles returning. Cameras are allowed at Trinity Site but their use is strictly prohibited anywhere else on White Sands Missile Range. For more information contact the missile range Public Affairs Office at (575) 678-1134.
For more information about the construction of the first atomic bomb, we suggest going to our pages about the Trinity Site, and also the Bradbury Museum, And The Los Alamos Historical Museum In Los Alamos.
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If you are planning to visit . And if you are coming from outside of New Mexico, you could fly into Albuquerque International Sunport and then rent a car. Albuquerque International Sunport (IATA: ABQ, ICAO: KABQ, FAA LID: ABQ) is a public airport located 3 miles (5 km) southeast of the central business district of Albuquerque, a city in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. It is the largest commercial airport in the state We actually found it easier to stay in nearby Socorro, New Mexico at the Holiday Inn Express. There are many hotels and motels in New Mexico and Colorado, and if you need a place to stay; Priceline.com can arrange that for you. We have personally, booked flights, hotels, and vacations; through Priceline.com and we can highly recommend them. Their website is also easy to use! We have some links to Priceline.com on this page since they can arrange all of your air flights, hotels and car. We of course, appreciate your use of the advertising on our pages, since it helps us to keep our pages active. Whenever you make a purchase from a link on our page we get credit for that transaction. Again, Thanks!
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| The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. | The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. |
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| Plutonium Room - Old Master Bedroom Of The McDonald Ranch House. Where Plutonium Was Placed Into The "Gadget." Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. | Plutonium Room - Old Master Bedroom Of The McDonald Ranch House. Where Plutonium Was Placed Into The "Gadget." Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. |
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| Plutonium Room - Old Master Bedroom Of The McDonald Ranch House. Where Plutonium Was Placed Into The "Gadget." Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. | Plutonium Room - Old Master Bedroom Of The McDonald Ranch House. Where Plutonium Was Placed Into The "Gadget." Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. |
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| A Room In The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. | A Room In The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. |
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| A Room In The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. | A Room In The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. |
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| A Room In The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. | A Room In The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. |
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| The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. | The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. |
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| Wind Mill Tower. The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. | Windmill Sails Fan Collapsed A Few Years Ago The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. |
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| Chimney Blown Over By Blast, Now Repaired. The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. | The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. |
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| Old Barn, Was Partially Destroyed. The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. | Corral At The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. |
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| Sgt. Herbert Lehr Delivering The Plutonium Core For The Gadget In Its Shock - Mounted Carrying Case To The Assembly Room In The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. Courtesy: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. | Sgt. Herbert Lehr On Left Delivering The Plutonium Core For The Gadget In Its Shock - Mounted Carrying Case To The McDonald Ranch House. Trinity Atomic Bomb Site. White Sands Missile Range. New Mexico. Courtesy: Bradbury Museum. |
Click On Any Of The Following Links By Amazon.Com
For Books Or Videos About The Atomic Bomb. No Obligation!
We Are Proud Of Our SafeSurf Rating!