Big South Fork 

National River and Recreation Area

National Park Service Manhattan Project National Historical Park U.S. Department of the Interior

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Manhattan Project National Historical Park

Oak ridge SITE

Junior Ranger Book

This book belongs to:
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Junior Ranger Program 

Americans protect national parks so everyone can experience our heritage. This handbook 

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

places. Allow about 3 hours to earn a Junior Ranger badge. We suggest starting at Manhattan 

Project National Historical Park Visitor Center Desk at:

American Museum of Science and Energy

300 S. Tulane

Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

Several activities can be done nearby. Pick up a park map and get some advice from a park 

ranger. The Visitor Center Desk is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time. 

Manhattan Project National Historical Park is a partnership park, with both the Department 

of Energy and the National Park Service. Together, they tell the stories of Los Alamos, NM; 

Hanford, WA; and Oak Ridge, TN. These three sites played a unique and crucial role during 

the Manhattan Project. We encourage you to visit all three locations.
Some other historic spots are: 

•	Alexander Inn Site

	 •	 Graphite Reactor Site

	 •	 Rotary Commemorative Walk

	 •	 Friendship Bell

	 •	 K-25 Overlook

	 •	 K-25 Virtual Museum

	 •	Midtown Community Center

	 •	Chapel on the Hill

	 •	Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge

	 •	 X-10 Plant Site

	 •	 Y12 Visitor Services New Hope Center

Questions?

Call Manhattan Project National Historical Park Visitor Center Desk at (865) 576-6767,

located at:

American Museum of Science and Energy

300 S. Tulane

Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Visit us online!

 www.nps.gov/mapr

 

 Twitter@MnhtnProjectNPS

 www.facebook.com/ManhattanProjectNPS

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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 in a few hours. When you are done, take

this handbook to the Visitor Center and show it to a park ranger.

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.

1st Activity Page
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2nd Activity Page

Did You Know?

Yellowstone National Park became the world’s first national park in 1872. In the early years,

most national parks were in the western states. This is 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 urban parks (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. Here’s our challenge.

Do one activity for every year of your life. For example, if you are 8 years old, you must 

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

□ I hiked on _________________________________________Trail.

□ I found a historic marker along Emory Road.

□ I took a picture of myself in the park.

□ I climbed 20 steps.

□ I found a trail sign.

□ I ran for more than one minute.

□ I rode a bike in a park.

□ I crossed a footbridge.

□ I had a picnic in a park.

□ I took the bus tour of the Oak Ridge Facilities.

□ I saw my first ______________________________________________.

□ I played _________________________________________ in the park.

□ I found a trail map on a park bulletin board.

□ I visited _______________________________________________.

□ I went to the Linden School Wetlands.

□ I found a stick shaped like the letter ______________.

□ I think ___________________________________________ counts too!

3rd Activity Page
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Secret City Challenge

What is the real name of the Secret City? ___________________________________________

Who was president in 1941? _____________________________________________________

What happened in Hawaii on December 7, 1941?

______________________________________________________________________________

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

World War II? __________________________________________________________________

Why was the Manhattan Project developed in 1942?

 ______________________________________________________________________________

What was an Alphabet House? 

______________________________________________________________________________

How many people lived in the Secret City in 1945? __________________________________

Many unmarried people moved to the Secret City right after college. What was their 

housing called? ________________________________________________________________

Find out how many schools - from elementary through high school - were in operation

serving children in the Secret City in 1945. _________________________________________

Why did people walk on boardwalks instead of sidewalks? 

______________________________________________________________________________

The Secret City had seven gates during the years 1942-1949. Circle the name of the

locations of two of them from this list:

Solway Edgemoor Elza Oliver Springs Blair Road Gallaher Road White Oak

4th Activity Page
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Who was the official Manhattan Project of Oak Ridge

photographer?

______________________________________

What were the Secret City workers doing that was so 

secretive?

______________________________________

______________________________________

Who was the army general leading the Secret City project 

in 1942 and can you name the project? ____________

______________________________________

______________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

What was the first youth organization in the Secret City in the 1940s?

_____________________________________________________________

Can you find a Secret City elementary

school that is now a museum for 

children?

___________________________

___________________________

5th Activity Page
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6th Activity Page

What was so important 

about the number 92 on

the Periodic Table to many 

women who worked at 

the Manhattan Project? 

_________________

_________________

_________________

_________________

_________________

_________________

_________________
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7th Activity Page

 

Who were the Calutron Girls?

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

________________________________
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7th Activity Page (continued)

Diagram of uranium 

isotope separation in 

the calutron.

Alpha I Racetrack. The calutrons are

located around the ring. What did 

the calutron separation produce? 

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________
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8th Activity Page

Describe what a day in a kid’s life was like in the Secret City in 1945.

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

________________________

________________________

_________________________

_________________________

Describe the kind of activities or sports that kids could do in the Secret City in 1945-46. 

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________
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9th Activity Page

MANHATTAN PLUTONIUM REACTOR ROOSEVELT GROVES

PROJECT CALUTRON SCIENTIST ATOM ALPHABET HOUSE

SECRET CITY LOS ALAMOS OAK RIDGE URANIUM HANFORD 

Manhattan Project NHP Hidden Word Search

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

Unit of the Park?
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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 nature and history 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 Ranger ____________________________________________________________.

 NPS /Name of Ranger

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

 Manhattan Project National Historical Park

 300 S. Tulane 

 Oak Ridge Tennessee, 37830

Tell us where to mail your badge:

Name ___________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________

City _____________________________________________________

State _____________________________ Zip ____________________
please print name

for completing the

Manhattan Project National Historical Park

Junior Ranger Activity Booklet

 Dated this day of 

Park Ranger Signature

This certificate is proudly presented to