Area 19
What is it and why should we care?
History | The Power Line | Location | The Cheshire Airstrip | Other Interesting Stuff | Conclusion
What is it? Some people think that it is just a peice of land owned by NTS, while some think that it is the "real" Area 51. These are just the two extremes; most people have their opinion somewhere between these two. The only thing that we know for a fact is that Area 19 is really just a peice of land in the middle of nowhere. What makes it noticable is that there's a 34.5 kilovolt power line which just stops in the middle of nowhere. I think that this is a little bit unusual, don't you?
History
Area 19, along with Area 20 to its west, were added to the Nevada Test Site (NTS) because of the 1962 Test Ban Treaty, which ended atmospheric testing. Yucca Flat was a little too close to Las Vegas for the shockwaves created by the bombs. It was an ideal place to do underground testing.
The Power Line
What made Area 19 partially famous in the first place is that here is a huge 34.5 kilovolt powerline, which terminates right in the middle of Area 19, in the middle of nowhere. There is nothing that is "supposed" to be there in any NTS documents.
Location
The location is farther from any curious people than anyplace in the whole complex, even farther than Area 51. However, there is an airspace, so planes can fly right over Area 19. Anyway, more suspiciously, Area 19 is for nuke testing, but there have been very few nuke blasts, but a whole lot of drilling. Also the NTS doesn't get any information about classified programs on their territory.
The "Cheshire Airstrip"
This story was told by a commercial pilot, who flies in a nearby airline. Some of his friends, who fly from Las Vegas to the Groom Lake and the Tonopah Test Range facilities, sometimes fly to Area 19.
When the pilot prepared to land, first he had to get clearance that there weren't any spy sattellites over Area 19. Then the runway, which was disguised to look like the ground, was watered by sprinklers. This made the runway stand out. The pilots got off and had to quickly get back on. The complex that the pilot entered was built to look like a series of hills.
The problem with this story? Well, enemy satellites can see in multiple wavelenghts. This usually sees through most camoflauge. Maybe the government has some sort of high-tech camoflauge that makes the facility camoflauged in every single wavelength, but I doubt it. Plus, with the airspace right over it, the facility would have to be noticed by someone.
Other Interesting Stuff
The press wanted to get a tour of Area 19. They can parade around everywhere in the whole complex, with cameras, and they can do anything they want: as long as they have a guide. Well, they couldn't go to Area 19. The first time they were told that it was too far, and the second time they were told that the roads weren't maintained(even though one is a paved road).
Click here to go to the conclusions.