Colorado Experience: Colorado's Cold War (Rocky Flats)

In 1951, in the early days of the Cold War, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission announced the construction of a new facility in Arvada, Colorado, 16 miles from Metro Denver. Although the general public was largely unaware of what went on at the site, the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant manufactured the plutonium “trigger” used in every nuclear weapon created in the United States. For the next several decades, Rocky Flats was a major stimulus to the local economy, providing thousands of jobs to area residents. But it was also a source of increasing controversy, as reports of radioactive contamination affecting the local environment and the truth about what was really going on at Rocky Flats became public. Colorado’s Cold War explores the legacy of Rocky Flats and the local impact of a global conflict. For additional resources related to Rocky Flats, visit www.rmpbs.org/coloradoexperience.