Is this old pic at Los Alamos or White Sands? (Albuquerque: mover, live)

[High_Plains_Retired]

While cleaning out an old desk of my now-deceased father-in-law, I came across this old picture. I believe it was either taken at Los Alamos or White Sands and appears to show some sort of large equipment (test facility or some sort?) in front of a hangar wall with a few bombs to the side. My father-in-law was a structural mover in his younger days in New Mexico and in west Texas and I recall him telling me he moved some of the old barracks at Los Alamos after WWII. He also told me he had the opportunity to meet some of the scientists back then. However, he may have also moved some buildings at White Sands as I know he had property at Alamogordo after the War.

There seems little chance that this odd structure still exists, and even less that anyone here will recognize it, but how about it?

[PJ45]

Interesting photo. Here are the links to two heretage societies. Maybe they can be of help.

Los Alamos Historical Society:
Los Alamos Historical Society

Atomic Heritage Foundation:
The Atomic Heritage Foundation - Home

[Devin Bent]

Just an opinion,

one thing seem very out of place for Los Alamos --

conventional bombs??? They had conventional explosives there for the development of the a-bomb, but I don't think they ever had conventional bombs. By 1950, it was civilian controlled I believe. I don't think they ever had bombers up there.

Anybody correct me, please, if I am wrong.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by Devin Bent

Just an opinion,

one thing seem very out of place for Los Alamos --

Thanks for the Los Alamos historical information. I'll try to pass this across their desk and see if they know anything. It's not really important. It was just a pic found along with one of a rock crusher machine in NM which I believe was one my father-in-law worked on briefly after he got out of the service.

The pic could have been taken in the mid- to late 1940s. I'm just not sure but your logic sounds right about the conventional bombs. Unless it is some sort of tourist display, it almost looks like an Air Force base or something like that. The only base I believe this could be is Cannon AFB near Clovis but I spent four years in and out of the hangars on that base and I don't recall anything that even looked close to the building in the picture.

Thanks for the reply.

[sjbasin]

Get in touch with the folks at the National Atomic Museum in Albuquerque. It looks like it could possibly be part of a display.

[GregW]

Could it have been taken at the old military airport at Roswell? I have no idea what the big thing is but the other things are most likely bombs. They are too small to be droppable fuel tanks.

[Muhnay]

Does not look like White Sands at all. My mom worked out there for 30 years, I grew up playing and exploring the base as a kid.

[tecpatl]

Bombs aside, I think the big mysterious gadget in the pic is a rare, maybe unique, photo of the "WABAC (Way-Back) Machine" developed in a secret program just after the war. It never lived up to expectations, so the inventor, a Mr. Peabody, left government service and had a fairly successful career in the newly developed cathode-tube display and communication business.
More info: Wayback machine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by GregW

Could it have been taken at the old military airport at Roswell? I have no idea what the big thing is but the other things are most likely bombs. They are too small to be droppable fuel tanks.

Hmmm. Now this could be. I seem to recall that my father-in-law may have had done some some work at the old Roswell AB. Interesting.

[clairz]

Originally Posted by tecpatl

Bombs aside, I think the big mysterious gadget in the pic is a rare, maybe unique, photo of the "WABAC (Way-Back) Machine" developed in a secret program just after the war. It never lived up to expectations, so the inventor, a Mr. Peabody, left government service and had a fairly successful career in the newly developed cathode-tube display and communication business.
More info: Wayback machine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yep, funniest answer so far. No Bull******!!*

*stands for Bullwinkle.

~clairz