BECAUSE YOU ASKED
Q: Which ship was dismantled in World War II, and hauled up above the Colorado National Monument by Grand Junction, then reassembled to take part in supposedly the largest ever non-nuclear explosion to take place up to that time?
A: You are probably referring to the test in November 1972 to simulate a medium-size nuclear bomb using conventional explosives. The U.S. Army, Department of Defense, Canadian army and private contractors worked in what was called Operation Mixed Company to understand how such a bomb would affect terrain above and below ground. The site northwest of Glade Park was chosen because it was isolated, had uneven surface terrain and irregular underground geologic features.
Historian Dave Fishell said he was not aware of a ship, but that shells of helicopters, Jeeps and a personnel carrier, among other items, were taken there.
The blast was felt in Grand Junction.
According to Fishell, photos show a 30-foot or higher beehive-shaped structure made of blocks of TNT. Five hundred tons of TNT was used used to simulate the nuclear blast.
The site, now covered in hay and grass, is on private land.
Source: Dave Fishell, historian and author, Museum of Western Colorado
Q: There is a grave on the north side of Interstate 70 near mile marker 217. Who is that for?
A: On Oct. 2, 1970, a plane carrying members of the Wichita State University football team, administrators and fans crashed west of Silver Plume while on the way to a game in Utah. The plaque is in memory of the 31 people who died in the crash.
Source: Denver Post archives; Colorado Department of Transportation; Wichita State University website (www.wichita.edu/insidewsu/@9-21-2000/Memorial_70.htm); Denver Post archives
– Bonnie Gilbert
