areas for missiles fired into the northern part of the Range.

In 1965, Range officials erected a modest monument at Ground Zero.
Built of black lava rock, this monument serves as a permanent marker
for the site and as a reminder of the momentous event that occurred
there. On the monument is a plain metal plaque with this simple
inscription: "Trinity Site Where the World's First Nuclear Device Was
Exploded on July 16, 1945."

During the annual tour in 1975, a second plaque was added below the
first by The National Park Service, designating Trinity Site a
National Historic Landmark. This plaque reads, "This site possesses
national significance in commemorating the history of the U.S.A."



JUMBO


Lying next to the entrance of the chain link fence that still
surrounds Trinity Site are the rusty remains of Jumbo. Jumbo was the
code name for the 214-ton Thermos shaped steel and concrete container
designed to hold the precious plutonium core of the Trinity device in
case of a nuclear mis-fire. Built by the Babcock and Wilcox Company
of Barberton, Ohio, Jumbo was 28 feet long, 12 feet, 8 inches in
diameter, and with steel walls up to 16 inches thick.

The idea of using some kind of container for the Trinity device was
based on the fact that plutonium was extremely expensive and very
difficult to produce. So, much thought went into a way of containing