Unfortunately, it is no longer publicly accessible. There was no military installation at Groom Lake until mid-1955. A 9 October 1952 view of Groom and Papoose Lakes from a USGS photo index . Click here for more information on the photo index. A 1953 photograph exposed from the Groom Mine area at the instant of an atomic test at the then Nevada Proving Grounds to the southwest .
Groom Lake is at center left just below the flash of light.
The owners of Groom Mine, the Sheahans, are shown in the photograph. Fallout and blast damage at Groom Mine following atomic tests was often heavy, leading the Sheahans to discontinue large-scale operations in the late 1950s. The photograph is there credited to Alan Jarlson. A 1950s photograph from Groom Mine showing a mushroom cloud from an atomic test . Groom Lake is at left center.