The Last Homestead Inside the Fence
Bruggemann Ranch
One family’s land became the edge of the atomic frontier. Unlike most, they stayed, for a while, and left behind one of the few surviving prewar structures inside the Hanford Site.
Farming in the Shadow of the Manhattan Project
The Bruggemann family settled their ranch near what would become the Hanford Site in the early 20th century. When the government cleared the land for the Manhattan Project, the family held on, eventually becoming one of the last residents allowed to remain within the restricted zone.
Their home, barn, and surrounding fields stood as quiet witnesses to the transformation of the region into a high-security wartime site. While most traces of rural life were erased, parts of the Bruggemann Ranch still remain and are visible on special tours of the area.
It serves as a rare and poignant symbol of what came before, a reminder that atomic history was built on lived-in land with long-standing roots.