Transcription
The Vision Lives On
THE STORY OF OAK RIDGE
(The following information has been prepared by John Gillette and Grady Whitman, as a service to many travelers who visit the Oak Ridge Convention & Visitors Bureau.)
Oak Ridge was built in the hills of East Tennessee under a cloak of great secrecy during World War II. A city and facilities of unprecedented scope were constructed to develop a technology that ended the war.
Oak Ridge came into being in 1942 as a major site in the "Manhattan Project," a massive wartime project created to produce the world's first atomic weapons. The 60,000-acre tract of land on which the town and its manufacturing plants were built met military requirements for isolation, electric power, water, available labor supply, and accessibility to nearby highways and railroads. At the time, the area had a total population of some 3,000 persons residing in approximately 1,000 homes scattered throughout the area and in the communities of Scarboro, Wheat, and Robertsville.
Scientists had learned by 1939 that uranium atoms could be split with the release of large amounts of energy. This process was called fission, and its use for military purposes was seriously discussed since the early development of an atomic weapon was considered important to the security of the United States. Albert Einstein sent a letter which represented the views of several leading scientists to President Franklin D. Roosevelt explaining the potential for such a weapon. Actions which followed led to the development of the atomic bomb.
It was determined early in 1942 that several methods were possible for the production of necessary fissionable material, either plutonium 239 or the highly purified isotope uranium 235. Ultimately three methods were brough to a large-scale production. Oak Ridge had a major role to play in each of these three processes. Three facilities, each identified by a code name, were built in the Oak Ridge complex then called the Clinton Engineering Works after the nearby town of Clinton. This work was under the direction of the Manhattan District of the Corps of Engineers, which had been formed in June 1942, to oversee the entire atomic weapons program.
A huge plant named Y-12 was built to separate the uranium 235 isotope from natural uranium in sufficient quantity and quality to produce the fissionable material for atomic weapons. It was the first to accomplish this goal. This plant was based on an electromagnetic process developed at the University of California Berkley and had the unusual distinction of using $300,000,000 worth of silver borrowed from the United States Treasury. The silver was used as a substitute for copper in the fabrication of equipment for the plant. Uranium separation by the electromagnetic process ceased in the Y-12 Plant in 1947; however, research and development and specialized production continue at this facility which is still identified by its war time code name.
Another enormous facility, the K-25 Plant, was built to separate uranium 235 by a more economical method. This plant was one of the largest scale-ups of laboratory equipment in history and involved process systems of unprecedented vacuum tightness and unusual cleanliness. The original plant was expanded to cover more than 1500 acres and was the forerunner of similar facilities in Paducah, Kentucky, and Portsmouth, Ohio. These plants are a source of enriched uranium which is used to fuel both military and civilian nuclear power reactors.
A third facility, known as X-10, was the site where the graphite-moderated nuclear reactor was constructed as a pilot facility for the larger plutonium production complex in Hanford, Washington. This reactor, later used to produce radioisotopes, was shut down in 1963, and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark which is open to the public. The X-10 area became the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in 1948. ORNL has gained worldwide recognition for research in the basic sciences, energy systems, environment and safety, and multi disciplinary activities important to national scientific and engineering goals.
The town which is approximately 10 miles in length and two miles in breadth is located in a valley and on a hillside known as Black Oak Ridge, from whence the rather inconspicuous name Oak Ridge was taken. Oak Ridge reached a peak population of 75,000 and became the fifth largest city in Tennessee in 2.5 years. The original housing was comprised of railers, dormitories, flat-tops, and single family dwellings called cemestos. The latter were fabricated in a variety of floor plans and sizes designated by letters of the alphabet. These houses were attractively located among the hills and valleys and most have been remodeled to remain as a major segment of the community. Individual shopping centers, businesses and schools were located throughout the community, and these decentralize the city into neighborhood regions.
The Manhattan District was transferred to the Atomic Energy Commission on June 1, 1947. In 1949, the town was opened to the public and six years later, in 1955, the AEC sold the government-owned houses and land to Oak Ridgers. Since that time, many private homes and churches have been built to expand the city in a manner to retain its natural beauty. The city was incorporated under a council manager charter in May 1959. Oak Ridge currently has a population of 29,000 with federal offices, industrial facilities, a major medical center, and approximately 800 private firms. The Oak Ridge school system has maintained a very high ranking in the state and southeastern United States. There are many cultural attractions, including a symphony orchestra and a playhouse, and a variety of recreational facilities are available to the citizens of the community.
Oak Ridge's unusual history and specialized population of highly educated and technically trained people make it far from an from an average city. The heritage from the successful completion of complex goals in the past is being utilized to meet today's challenges and maintain the city as a center of scientific, industrial, and cultural excellence.Transcriber
Teagan RussellLanguage
English