Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

Publication Title

Geographical Review

Keywords

nuclear weapons, Chicago Pile, Trinity Site, atomic landscapes

Abstract

Dozens of locations across the United States were impacted by the development and deployment of American atomic weapons. Some of these places continue to change along with the world around them. Other sites remain in intentionally static space. Using a cultural landscape approach, this paper analyzes two such places that represent two broad groups of static atomic landscapes: 1) atomic testing sites; and 2) remnant sites for containment of stored materials and byproducts from the processing and extraction for and scientific testing of atomic technology. Influencing the static nature of such landscapes is a combination of intentional government-led efforts to monitor and keep such sites unchanged (to prevent potential contamination in the surrounding communities) and the remoteness, inaccessibility, and sometimes hidden nature of such locations. But another outcome is the creation of several largely stable, unchanging, distinct, and meaningful landscapes that reveal some of the less-known messages from the atomic age. Thus, even static spaces can be a dynamic force for placemaking for those who interact with the sites.

Funding Source

This research was supported by the Illinois State University College of Arts and Sciences start-up fund and the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment’s Ridgley Fellowship. This research was funded in part by Illinois State University. This article was published open access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Taylor & Francis.

DOI

10.1080/00167428.2026.2669533

Comments

First published in Geographical Review (2026): https://doi.org/10.1080/00167428.2026.2669533

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