Manhattan Project National Historical Park

Hanford, Washington

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

MANHATTAN PROJECT NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

HANFORD UNIT

B REACTOR NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK

JUNIOR RANGER BOOK

This book belongs to:

____________________________________________________________________
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park is a partnership between the National Park 

Service and the Department of Energy that tells the stories of top-secret sites in Los 

Alamos, NM; Hanford, WA; and Oak Ridge, TN that were created as part of the Manhattan 

Project during World War II. Aimed at developing an atomic weapon before Nazi 

Germany, the Manhattan Project successfully produced two of the most powerful weapons 

the world had ever seen, helping bring an end to the war and ushering in the Atomic Age.

Junior Ranger Program

National Parks are very special places that protect the most important stories in our 

nation’s history and allow all visitors to experience our heritage. This handbook will help 

you discover why the Manhattan Project National Historical Park is one of these special 

places. Allow about 3 hours to earn a Junior Ranger badge. 

Activities in this Junior Ranger book can be completed by taking a tour of the B Reactor

National Historic Landmark. 

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Some other historic spots in our area are:

 The pre-World War II Park sites at Hanford (White Bluffs Bank, Bruggeman’s 

Warehouse, Hanford High 

School, and the Allard Pump 

House)

 “Alphabet” homes built for 

workers

 The USS Triton Sail Park

 Sacajawea State Park

 Whitman Mission National 

Historic Site

Questions?

Call the Park’s Visitor Contact Station and Tour Headquarters for the Hanford Unit at 

(509) 376-1647.

Manhattan Project – Hanford Visitor Contact Station and Tour Headquarters

2000 Logston Boulevard

Richland, Washington 99354

Visit us online!

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What is a Junior Ranger?

Someone like you who completes Junior Ranger activities and promises to care for our 

National Parks. Have fun exploring! You can earn your badge during your tour of the B 

Reactor National Historic Landmark. When you are done, take this handbook to the 

Visitor Contact Station and show it to one of the staff.

To earn a badge, complete at least 8 handbook activity pages.

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Designed in 1951, the arrowhead is the National Park Service symbol. Look at it carefully. 

Each part represents something that park rangers protect. Fill in these words to decode 

the Arrowhead.

bison sequoia tree lake arrowhead mountain

The _____________________________________represents plants.

The _____________________________________represents animals.

The ____________________________________ represents scenic landscapes.

The ____________________________________ represents water resources and recreation.

The ____________________________________ represents history and culture.

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Did You Know?

In 1872, Yellowstone National Park became our country’s first national park. In the early 

years, most national parks were in the western states. That’s why the badge has western 

symbols. Today, the National Park System includes seashores, battlefields, monuments 

(like the Statue of Liberty), huge wetlands, scenic rivers, islands, and parks focused on 

history (like Manhattan Project National Historical Park). Record how many arrowheads 

you see during your visit. Can you spot them on signs, cars, brochures, and uniforms?

List any other national parks you have visited.

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Manhattan Project National Historical Park

Kids in Action Challenge:

There are many fun ways to get moving in this national park. Our challenge to you is to 

do one activity for each year of your age. For example, if you are 8 years old, we’d like you 

to complete 8 things on our list. Check the square when you finish each one.

 I had my picture taken in the operator’s chair in the Control Room. 

 I saw the office where Enrico Fermi worked while at Hanford.

 I saw a picture of a Flying Fortress bomber named “A Day’s Pay.”

 I looked down into the Valve Pit. 

 I saw a train engine with the number “3731.” 

 I listened at the “Hear-Here” booth.

 I saw a steam operated exhaust fan. 

 I found three or more clocks all stopped at 10:48.

 I saw graphite blocks with holes in them.

 I saw a white Charging Elevator.

 I saw my first ___________________________________.

 I saw three hydraulic accumulators.

 I discovered who Leona Woods Marshall Libby was.

 I saw a picture of one of the mess halls at the Hanford Construction Camp.

 I know why there is a Plexiglas box around the Ball 3X switch in the Control Room.

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Your Hanford IQ

What was the code name for the Hanford site during World War II? ______________________

Who was president in 1941? ________________________________________________________________

Which president authorized the dropping of an atomic bomb on Japan to help bring an 

end to World War II? 

______________________________________________________________________________________

What was the purpose of the Manhattan Project? _________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

In which town would you find the Alphabet Houses? 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Circle the three towns, from the list below, that were evacuated when the government 

arrived in 1943.

Yakima White Bluffs Wenatchee Pasco Richland Prosser Hanford

What was the name of the construction camp? ___________________________________________

What was the code name for uranium? ____________________________________________________

What was the code name for plutonium? __________________________________________________

What was the name of the mountain that formed the western boundary of the Hanford 

site? ________________________________________________________________________________________

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Who was the official Manhattan Project 

Photographer at Hanford?

____________________________________________________

Who was the army general that led the 

Manhattan Project in 1942?

____________________________________________________

What are the names of the other two top

secret locations that are now part of the 

Manhattan Project National Historical Park? What 

went on at each during World War II?

1. ______________________________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________________________

What was produced at Hanford? What was this product used 

for? ____________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

List at least three different types of housing workers lived in 

at the Hanford Construction Camp: 

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

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How many process tubes did the graphite core in the B Reactor hold? ___________________

How long did it take the cooling water to pass through the process tubes before exiting 

the rear of the reactor? ____________________________________________________________________

When the B Reactor first came online in 1944, it operated at 250 mega (million) watts 

and required: 10,000 / 35,000 / 75,000 gallons of water per minute (circle the correct answer)

When the B Reactor shut down in 1968, it operated at more than 2000 MW and required:

10,000 / 35,000 / 75,000 gallons of water per minute (circle the correct answer)

How many vertical safety rods were used in the reactor? __________________________________

How many horizontal control rods were used? _____________________________________________

Below is a picture of one of the chemical separation facilities in the 200 Area where 

irradiated fuel was processed. What was the nickname the workers gave these buildings? 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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Using the terms listed beneath the diagram, see if you can identify the locations marked 

below. The following page has a description of each location to help you.

Possible terms (not all are used):

Intake Fan Room Exhaust Fan Room Bathroom

Lunch Room Fuel Storage Basin Accumulator Room

Valve Pit Chemical Lab Exhaust Stack

Control Room Nurse’s Station Graphite Core

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1. ___________________

3. _____________________

4. _____________________

6. ___________________

5. ___________________ 7. ___________________

Entrance

Front 

Face

2. ______________________
Location Descriptions

1. This was where the discharged irradiated fuel would be found.

2. Air that has left the building exits via this structure.

3. The core of the reactor is made of this material.

4. Equipment located here ensures that air in the building is removed after 

circulating throughout the building.

5. Operators monitor and regulate the reactor from this room.

6. Lots of pipes brought cooling water into the building through this room.

7. Equipment located here brought in fresh air to the reactor.

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Match the person with their description.

____ John Archibald Wheeler a. West Point graduate and Director of 

the entire Manhattan Project.

_____ Leona Marshall Libby b. “Officer-in-charge” at Hanford; his

bust can be found in the entryway of 

the B Reactor.

_____ General Leslie R Groves c. Italian émigré who was the first to 

demonstrate a controlled selfsustained nuclear chain reaction.

_____ Franklin Delano Roosevelt d. PhD physicist who worked closely with 

Fermi and had a personal bathroom in 

the B Reactor.

_____ Colonel Franklin Matthias e. American physicist who made 

significant contributions to the B 

Reactor design and predicted the 

possibility of a “Mysterious Failure”.

_____ Enrico Fermi f. President who authorized the 

establishment of the Manhattan 

Project, but who died before a bomb 

was ever dropped.

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Manhattan Project NHP Hidden Word Search

Can you find the words that are important to the Manhattan Project and the Hanford 

unit of the Park?

B D O S I M E T E R R E A G C

T O R O M U I N O T U L P R V

Y Z B M U I N A R U B L N A U

V R J U W I S N R D M Y O P E

V S O N E U T R O N A U R H O

C O N T R O L R O D R J T I L

N E V I A Z H F E O C H C T I

T O E P K R S R L P S N E E A

A A P J P G E I X E O V L J T

F I S S I O N D M R C T E Q G

E B U T S S E C O R P T O R I

N J A E H Q B B Y M E U V S P

X F G P Q Y X M L X I F R O I

Boron Control rod Dosimeter Electron

Fermi Fission Graphite Isotope

Moderator Neutron Pigtail Plutonium

Scram Uranium Process tube

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10th Activity Page

 

Word Jumble 

The answers to the questions below are jumbled. Can you straighten them out?

Where did the first controlled nuclear chain reaction occur?

HIGOACC ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

What was the name of the scientist that accomplished this feat?

RINOCE MRFIE ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 

What was the name of the top secret program to develop the atomic bomb? 

HATANANMT JORCEPT ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 

Who was put in charge of this program?

SLIELE VEORGS ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Where was the first full scale nuclear reactor built?

FORNDAH, HASGINWOTN ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ , ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

What material was produced at Hanford?

TOULPINUM ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 

Can you find the secret word? Take the letter with a number under it and place it in the 

space with the same number below:

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

10 

12 

8

2 6

5

3

4

1 7

9

11 
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th Activity Page

 

Map Trivia

1. Circle your own state.

2. Trace your trip from your home to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park 

at Hanford.

3. Put a star where Los Alamos, NM and Oak Ridge, TN are located.

4. Name the National Park that is closest to your home:

____________________________________________________________________________________

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Manhattan Project National Historical Park

Hanford, WA
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th Activity Page

 

Amazing! See if you can find your way from Tour Headquarters to the B Reactor.

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END

B Reactor

Tour 

Headquarters

START
13

th Activity Page

 

I Saw That! Draw a line through each item as you see it. How many: ______________

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Junior Ranger Pledge

As a Junior Ranger of Manhattan Project National Historical Park, I promise to keep 

learning more about the history and legacy of the Manhattan Project and help preserve 

the park for future generations.

This certifies that ________________________________________________ , age ______________ , has 

successfully completed the requirement of a Junior Ranger on this ____________day of 

_____________________________ , 20 ____________. 

Reviewed by Park Staff Member ___________________________________________________________.

 Name of Park Staff Member

If you can’t return to the Visitor Contact Station, mail your handbook to:

Manhattan Project National Historical Park – Hanford Unit

2000 Logston Boulevard

Richland, Washington 99354

Tell us where to mail your badge (if necessary):

Name ___________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________

City _____________________________________________________________

State _____________________________________ Zip __________________

Park Stamps and Memories:

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