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For those who have wondered what our quarters looked like at Groom Lake in the 1960s, wonder no more. In August 1961 the essential facilities at Area 51 were completed. Three surplus U.S. Navy hangars from the Hawthorne, Nevada Naval Base were obtained, dismantled, and erected on the north side of the base, just north of the three original hangars. They were designated as Hangars 4, 5, and 6. A fourth, Hangar 7, was also built. One hundred and forty surplus U.S. Navy housing units were transported to the base and made ready for occupancy. The original U-2 hangars now served as maintenance and machine shops. Facilities in the main cantonment area included workshops and buildings for storage and administration, a commissary, control tower, fire station, and housing. Each residential building housed 4 people. We each had a private room and shared a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. I'm including some new views of the Groom Lake facility after a heavy rain storm during CIA Project OXCART that was declassified on 19 September 2007, the 60th anniversary of the Central Intelligence Agency.
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