Description
Due to its vast expanse and secrecy, the missile range has become the source of many myths. Among them are stories of alien interactions with personnel, radiation bleaching the sand at White Sands National Park, a tunnel used for submarine testing, missiles poised to shoot down trespassing aircraft, and the idea that ranch lands were stolen and not paid for.
Jim Eckles worked for White Sands Missile Range for 30 years and has been a volunteer there since he retired in 2007. When he retired, Eckles became informally known as the “WSMR historian.” While at the range, he wrote and spoke extensively about the mission of the missile range and area history. He wrote a book about the first atomic bomb test, Trinity: The History of An Atomic Bomb Test Site.