Title: Hanford, WA | Manhattan Project Voices
Headings: The Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project
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Hanford, WA
Site Selection
Displacement
DuPont
Construction
The Hanford Site
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Content: The area was isolated with only about 2,000 residents within 580 square miles. Displacement
On January 16, 1943, General Leslie Groves officially endorsed Hanford as the proposed plutonium production site. Most residents of the affected area, including those living in Hanford, White Bluffs, and Richland, were given 90 days notice to abandon their homes. Homeowners were compensated based on the appraised value of their homes, excluding the value of improvements, crops, and equipment. Many of the landowners rejected initial offers on their land and took the Army to court seeking more acceptable appraisals. Matthias adopted a strategy of settling out of court to save time, time being a more important commodity than money to the Manhattan Project. The Native American tribes were also displaced. The Wanapum lost access to their traditional home on the Columbia River, and the tribe resettled in Priest Rapids. Access to their traditional fishing areas was at first restricted and then revoked altogether. As one chapter of the region’s history ended, a new one began.