Map of Oak Ridge Atomic Capital of the World

Mapping the start of the Atomic Age.

In 1942, leaders of the Manhattan Project began to seriously consider production facilities for the creation of America’s first atomic bomb. A rural region in eastern Tennessee had the appropriate geology, infrastructure, and water supply, and through a highly contentious process, the U.S. Government acquired nearly 60,000 acres of land on which to build an extensive nuclear research and manufacturing facility, the Clinton Engineer Works. Work progressed quickly and in utmost secrecy – by 1945, the area housed about 75,000 government workers in the planned residential city of Oak Ridge.

This map, perhaps one of the earliest that was publicly issued, shows this ‘secret city’ as it first emerged from the shadows of the Manhattan Project. The lower half of the sheet presents a map of the area surrounding the Clinton Engineer Works (brightly highlighted in red). Immediately above is a street plan of Oak Ridge, noting the various bus lines in operation and accompanied by a street directory. The verso of the sheet offers a map of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, plus small plans of several local state parks. Captioned photographs show different facilities, including production plants, dormitories, a shopping center, and a steam plant.

The map was copyrighted in 1945 by a trio of individuals – J.U.G. Rich, R. Roy Wilson, and Jack G. Brantley. Published by Allied Engineers. WorldCat and an online catalog of copyright entries note examples printed in 1950 and 1952, respectively, but this is apparently the only known example of a version with the earlier date.