White Sands Proving Ground (N.M.)

The White Sands Proving Ground was established by the U.S. Army on 9 July 1945. Its purpose was to allow the Army's Ordnance Department to test and fire missiles over largely undeveloped land nearly 40 miles wide and 100 miles long. This range was free of a large population base or mitigating factors such as major highways, air travel routes, rail lines, or waterways. The desert area of the Tularosa Basin also offered relatively flat land in which the military could analyze launch trajectories and recover spent missile parts. To secure this early military use, the U.S. Army originally sought to move any livestock from the Tularosa Basin ranches. However, as the testing of rockets and missiles increased through the late 1940s, it became evident that the Army would make the White Sands Proving Ground a permanent installation. The Government eventually bought the ranches within its boundaries, which angered many area residents and cast lingering doubts as to the motives of the U.S. Army's policy regarding land use. The ledger of the Tularosa Basin properties lists many individuals prominent in the region, including the Danley, McDonald, and Cox families, many of whom have descendants that still reside in southern New Mexico.

From the description of White Sands Proving Ground land records, 1945-1958. (New Mexico State University). WorldCat record id: 69196559

The White Sands Proving Ground was established by the U.S. Army on 9 July 1945. Its purpose was to allow the Army's Ordnance Department to test and fire missiles over largely undeveloped land nearly 40 miles wide and 100 miles long. This range was free of a large population base or mitigating factors such as major highways, air travel routes, rail lines, or waterways. The desert area of the Tularosa Basin also offered relatively flat land in which the military could analyze launch trajectories and recover spent missile parts.

To secure this early military use, the U.S. Army originally sought to move any livestock from the Tularosa Basin ranches. However, as the testing of rockets and missiles increased through the late 1940s, it became evident that the Army would make the White Sands Proving Ground a permanent installation. The Government eventually bought the ranches within its boundaries, which angered many area residents and cast lingering doubts as to the motives of the U.S. Army's policy regarding land use.

From the guide to the White Sands Proving Ground Land Record Ledger Pages, 1945, (Archives and Special Collections, New Mexico State University Library)