In January 1951 , the United States government established the Nevada Test Site , a nuclear weapons testing reservation located in Nye County , Nevada , about 180 miles ( 290 km ) northwest Grasshopper Junction . During the 1950s , the mushroom cloud from these tests could be seen for almost in either direction , including in the city of Las Vegas where the tests became tourist attractions . Between May 28 and October 7 , 1957 , the Nevada Test Site ran a series of nuclear tests called Operation Plumbbob . In 1958 , the site carried out low-yield atmospheric and underground tests identified as Operation Hardtack II . As a result of Operation Plumbbob and Operation Hardtack , Grasshopper Junction became part of the June 22 &ndash; 26 , 1959 hearings before the Special Subcommittee on Radiation of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy . At the time , the population of Grasshopper Junction was two , and the first session of the 86th United States Congress determined that the estimated radiation dose received by the Grasshopper Junction population was 0.03 roentgen ( 8 microcoulombs per kilogram ) before Operation Plumbbob ( Pre-Plumbbob ) and 0.03 roentgen ( 8 µC/kg ) after Operation Hardtack II ( Cumulative )
Operation Hardtack II
Operation Hardtack II
Grasshopper Junction, Arizona