1986 Map of Hanford

About this map

The Hanford Site (DOE) dominates this mid-1980s landscape, reflecting the restricted industrial and scientific character of the high desert along the Columbia River. While the former townsite of Hanford is marked, the surrounding terrain is heavily modified by the infrastructure of the Department of Energy, including a Radio Facility, numerous Borrow Pits, and a Sanitary Disposal Site. Across the river, the Wahluke Slope Habitat Management Area and the Wahluke Slope provide a stark contrast in land use, showing the protected natural environment adjacent to the atomic-era facilities. The presence of May Junction and several transmission lines tracing through the Gable Mountains further illustrates the complex utility and rail networks required to maintain this high-security installation during the late Cold War period.