Red Gate Woods
Encyclopedia
Red Gate Woods is a forest preserve within the Palos Division of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County
, Illinois
. Located within the preserve is the original site of Argonne National Laboratory
and the Site A/Plot M Disposal Site
, which contains the buried remains of Chicago Pile-1
, the world's first nuclear reactor. After the initial tests, the reactor at Stagg Field
at the University of Chicago
was removed and reassembled at the Manhattan Project
site in Red Gate Woods. Local residents reported encountering US Army MPs guarding the area during World War II
but no one was aware of the true nature of the activities until long after the war. After further experiments and the shutdown of Pile 1, a huge hole was dug and the 2-story high reactor was pushed into it and buried. High levels of Strontium-90
and Tritium
have been discovered in test wells around the area. Other reactors were also built at the site and nuclear waste was buried there.
There is signage in the parking lot showing Albert Einstein
and Enrico Fermi
at the Red Gate Woods site during the Manhattan Project. Concrete markers designate historic sites and the foundations of Manhattan Project labs still exist.
Cook County Forest Preserves
The Cook County Forest Preserves are a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are set aside as natural areas. Cook County contains Chicago, Illinois, and is the center of a densely-populated urban metropolitan area in northeastern Illinois...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Located within the preserve is the original site of Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory is the first science and engineering research national laboratory in the United States, receiving this designation on July 1, 1946. It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest...
and the Site A/Plot M Disposal Site
Site A
The Site A/Plot M Disposal Site is located within Red Gate Woods and situated on the former grounds of Argonne National Laboratory and its predecessor, the University of Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory in Cook County, Illinois and is now part of the Palos Forest Preserve...
, which contains the buried remains of Chicago Pile-1
Chicago Pile-1
Chicago Pile-1 was the world's first man-made nuclear reactor. CP-1 was built on a rackets court, under the abandoned west stands of the original Alonzo Stagg Field stadium, at the University of Chicago. The first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated in CP-1 on December 2, 1942...
, the world's first nuclear reactor. After the initial tests, the reactor at Stagg Field
Stagg Field
Amos Alonzo Stagg Field is the name of two different football fields for the University of Chicago. The earliest Stagg Field is probably best remembered for its role in a landmark scientific achievement by Enrico Fermi during the Manhattan Project. The site of the first nuclear reaction received...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
was removed and reassembled at the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
site in Red Gate Woods. Local residents reported encountering US Army MPs guarding the area during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but no one was aware of the true nature of the activities until long after the war. After further experiments and the shutdown of Pile 1, a huge hole was dug and the 2-story high reactor was pushed into it and buried. High levels of Strontium-90
Strontium-90
Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope of strontium, with a half-life of 28.8 years.-Radioactivity:Natural strontium is nonradioactive and nontoxic, but 90Sr is a radioactivity hazard...
and Tritium
Tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium contains one proton and no neutrons...
have been discovered in test wells around the area. Other reactors were also built at the site and nuclear waste was buried there.
There is signage in the parking lot showing Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
and Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi was an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist particularly known for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics...
at the Red Gate Woods site during the Manhattan Project. Concrete markers designate historic sites and the foundations of Manhattan Project labs still exist.