HANFORD -- Sixty-five years ago the Hanford nuclear reservation was booming.
About 50,000 workers were racing to build the reactors, processing plants and support buildings needed to produce plutonium for the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, and then the Cold War nuclear weapons build up.
This Labor Day weekend the Herald pays homage to those early Hanford workers with a collection of government photos of work on the site that year culled from the Department of Energy's historic archives.
In 1944, Hanford was operating night and day, said historian Michele Gerber of Richland. "It was the peak," she said.
In September of that year, B Reactor, the world's first full-scale production reactor, began operating.
By the end of the year, D Reactor also went critical and T Plant was working to separate plutonium from irradiated fuel.
Workers were recruited from across the nation to come to Eastern Washington for a top-secret wartime project.
The work was demanding. Most workers labored 50-hour weeks with just one day off.
Just as now, the weather usually was too hot or too cold. But in 1944 workers also had to contend with the "termination winds."
Desert winds regularly whipped up dirt and sand from the site's many bare-dirt construction sites, causing discouraged workers to line up for what would be their final paycheck after each dust storm.
Workers didn't know what they were building until after the world's second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and days later WWII ended.
Today, Hanford continues to dominate the Tri-City economy as its largest employer while workers clean up the massive environmental contamination left from WWII and Cold War work.
It employs about 12,000 workers whose paychecks account for abut 32 percent of the payroll for the local community.
* Annette Cary: 509-582-1533; acary@tricityherald.com; More Hanford news at hanfordnews.com.
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Hanford guard tower demolished
Hanford guard tower demolished
The historic Hanford guard tower that stood above the Columbia River for a half-century has been pulled to the ground.
"It's really an iconic symbol of Hanford plutonium production," said Gary Snow, director of deactivation and demolition for Department of Energy contractor Washington Closure Hanford, as work to clean up the rubble that remained from the tower began Thursday.
Taking it down is part of environmental cleanup of the area around Hanford's ninth plutonium-production reactor, N Reactor, which is legally required to be completed at the end of the year.
Historic Hanford guard tower demolished (w/ gallery, video)
Historic Hanford guard tower demolished (w/ gallery, video)
The historic Hanford guard tower that stood above the Columbia River for a half-century has been pulled to the ground.
"It's really an iconic symbol of Hanford plutonium production," said Gary Snow, director of deactivation and demolition for Department of Energy contractor Washington Closure Hanford, as work to clean up the rubble that remained from the tower began Thursday.
Taking it down is part of environmental cleanup of the area around Hanford's ninth plutonium-production reactor, N Reactor, which is legally required to be completed at the end of the year.
Hanford stimulus spending called a success
Hanford stimulus spending called a success
Not since environmental cleanup began at Hanford has the nuclear reservation had a period where it could point to as much work completed as in the last 30 months.
As the Department of Energy wraps up most spending of its $1.96 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money, Hanford regulators and the state of Oregon, which keeps a close eye on Hanford, are calling the program a success.
Within a day of receiving its first Recovery Act money in spring 2009, Department of Energy contractors were hiring to ramp up cleanup.
Hanford layoffs timeline
Hanford layoffs timeline
Here is a timeline showing the Tri-Cities' roller coaster layoff history:
1943: Hanford, White Bluffs and Richland are transformed from rural villages with a combined population of about 1,200 into a construction camp of 51,000 workers.
1946: Employment drops to a low of about 5,000 as construction slows after World War II.
Cold War nuclear workers to be honored Friday
Cold War nuclear workers to be honored Friday
The Tri-Cities will celebrate a National Day of Remembrance on Friday for Cold War nuclear weapons workers at Hanford and other Department of Energy sites.
Cold War Patriots, a nonprofit organization, has organized a celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Richland Community Center, 500 Amon Park Drive, Richland.
The event will launch a new project to add to quilts honoring Cold War nuclear and uranium workers. Supplies will be on hand to allow participants to sign fabric quilt squares with markers to honor workers.
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