Mercury, Nevada
Encyclopedia
Mercury, Nevada is a town in Nye County
Nye County, Nevada
-National protected areas:* Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Death Valley National Park * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest * Spring Mountains National Recreation Area -Demographics:...

, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

, United States, 5 miles north of U.S. Route 95
U.S. Route 95 in Nevada
In the U.S. state of Nevada, U.S. Route 95 is a major U.S. highway traversing the state from north to south directly through Las Vegas and providing connections to both Carson City and Reno...

 at a point 65 miles further northwest of Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

. It is situated within the Nevada Test Site
Nevada Test Site
The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas...

 and was constructed by the Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...

 to house and service the staff of the test site. The specific site was known as Jackass Flats, NV and near-by Nevada Test Site 400. Today, the site is governed by the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...

. As part of the test site, the town is not accessible by the general public. It was named after the mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...

 mines which flourished in its general vicinity a century before the town itself was established. The current population is unknown.

History

Mercury began as a military-style encampment, Base Camp Mercury, set up to provide only the most basic facilities for personnel involved at the beginning of operations of the Nevada Test Site in 1950. As the scope of the testing program expanded, so did the amount of personnel required to fulfil the site's mission, and beginning in 1951 a 6.7 million dollar construction project was undertaken to provide adequate individual housing, office and service structures with a civilian town-like design. With the acquisition of a full-service post office
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

 in the mid-1950s, Base Camp Mercury was formally re-named Mercury, Nevada.

In 1957, the US Navy launched nine atmospheric sounding rockets to measure nuclear radiation and other atmospheric data, using Mercury as a staging area. The Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory conducted its first test flight in 1956. This test rocket lifted 13.6 kg to an altitude of 40 km.

In the early 1960s, the town population had grown to over 10,000, and further construction work was undertaken to upgrade the permanence of the town's architecture. A school was established, and numerous recreational and shopping facilities were added, including a movie theater, bowling alley, recreation hall, swimming pool and hobby center, as well as a full-care health clinic, library, non-denominational chapel with cadre of chaplains, service station with garage, and bus station. In 1962, the Desert Rock Airstrip was added for the visit from President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

 on December 8.

The town thereafter flourished until the 1992 accord was signed by President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

, ending Mercury's reason for being. The population shrank rapidly thereafter, leaving most of the facilities abandoned. A skeletal crew of scientists and military remain in Mercury conducting some limited testing and research. Most of the amenities have been closed and the town is now a shell of its former self, although dining, bar facilities, and a gym remain. The current population is unknown but fluctuates.

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