The great expanse of Idaho National Laboratory's 890 square miles is home to both prehistoric and modern history. Some of that history is mournful, deserving of special protection and preservation.
"While we estimate that INL may have as many as 75,000 prehistoric sites worthy of preservation, this year we identified and began safeguarding the crash site of a World War II B- 24 Liberator bomber," said Julie Williams, technical lead for INL's Cultural Resource Management Office. "Seventy years ago, the aircraft crashed in the southeast portion of INL's desert Site during a training flight and sadly, all seven crew members died."
In January 2014, Williams was contacted by Marc McDonald of Project Remembrance's Pocatello office. He was conducting historical research on the Army aircraft crash that happened on Jan. 8, 1944, but could not be certain the site was located on INL property.
"It was a coincidence that a month or so before, I was doing some research and ran across an Arco Advertiser article on that aircraft crash dated Jan. 14, 1944," Williams said.