Los Alamos Ranch School

Los Alamos Ranch School
Address
2132 Central Avenue
Los Alamos, New Mexico
87544
United States
Information
Opened 1917
Closed January 22, 1943
Gender Unisex, Male
Age range 12-18
Average class size 6
Language English
Campus size 732 acres
Graduates 600+/-
Alumni Gore Vidal
William S. Burroughs
Website

Los Alamos Ranch School was a private ranch school for boys in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, USA, near San Ildefonso Pueblo, in what eventually became Los Alamos. It was founded by a Detroit businessman Ashley Pond II, father of Peggy Pond Church, the New Mexican poet and author.[1]

The school, established in 1917, offered a program modeled after the Boy Scouts of America, combining a college preparatory curriculum with a rigorous outdoor life. All students were organized into patrols of Troop 22 and wore Scout uniforms & neckerchiefs. Obtaining First Class Rank in the Boy Scouts was a requirement for graduation.[2] Over its 25-year existence, the School remained small, with enrollment never exceeding 46 boys (aged 12 to 18 years), but its graduates were an impressive group. Famous alumni included William S. Burroughs, Gore Vidal,[1][3] Arthur Wood (president of Sears Roebuck) and the founder of the Santa Fe Opera, John Crosby.[4] Bill Veeck, owner of the Chicago White Sox, also attended but did not graduate.[5]

In November 1942, the school and the surrounding land were purchased by the United States Army's Manhattan Engineering District for use in the top-secret effort to develop the first atomic bomb. The school awarded its final diplomas in January 1943 and the Army took control of the property the following month.[1]

The site was chosen for the Manhattan Project because of its isolation, access to water, ample space, pre-existing buildings which could be used for housing and the fact that much of the surrounding land was already owned by the federal government. It was also located on a mesa in which all entrances could be secured. The facility originally was referred to as "Site Y", but later became known as Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, then Los Alamos National Laboratory. During World War II, the school's Fuller Lodge and the Big House were used as social gathering places for Los Alamos project personnel and some other buildings were used for housing. The school buildings were known as "Bathtub Row" because they were the only houses in Los Alamos with bathtubs.[6]

The guest house is the site of the Los Alamos Historical Museum and has an extensive display on the school and its use of Scouting. The adjacent Fuller Lodge is open for visitor viewing and is frequently used for meetings or weddings. The Los Alamos Art Center is housed in the south wing by Central Avenue.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "History of the Los Alamos Ranch School" - article from Los Alamos Historical Society, retrieved April 2, 2008
  2. ↑ http://www.losalamoshistory.org/ranch_school.htm
  3. ↑ William S. Burroughs (edited by James Grauerholz and Ira Silverberg; 1998), Word Virus: The William S. Burroughs Reader, Grove Press, published 2000, ISBN 0-8021-3694-X, ISBN 9780802136947
  4. ↑ Kozinn, Allan (December 17, 2002). "John Crosby, 76, Dies; Started Santa Fe Opera". The New York Times. New York. pp. B10. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  5. ↑ K.R. Mason, Children of Los Alamos - An Oral History of the Town Where the Atomic Age Began,Twayne Publishers 1995, ISBN 0-8057-9138-8
  6. ↑ "The Ranch School Closes Down", Los Alamos National Laboratory website

Coordinates: 35°52′55″N 106°18′08″W / 35.88194°N 106.30222°W / 35.88194; -106.30222

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