Smoke was seen from 100 miles (160 km) away, and two major blasts measured 3.0 and 3.5, respectively, on the Richter magnitude scale at observatories in California and Colorado. The blaze quickly engulfed the factory, spewing rocket fuel, smoke, and toxic fumes from the building, eventually obliterating it in a massive explosion, followed by six smaller explosions. In 1988, the Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) rocket fuel factory, in the modern-day Gibson Springs neighborhood of Henderson, caught fire. Originally only about 13 square miles (34 km 2) in size, the city quickly began to grow, reaching over 94 square miles (240 km 2) in size today. On May 23, 1953, Henderson, with its population of 7,410, elected Dr. With the help of local industry, Henderson was incorporated on Apas the City of Henderson. Governor Vail Pittman signed the bill on March 27, 1947, helping save Henderson from becoming war surplus property. Within days of the visit, the legislators unanimously approved a bill that gave Nevada's Colorado River Commission the authority to purchase the industrial plants. In an effort to save the city, the Nevada Legislature spent a weekend visiting Henderson, evaluating the possibility of state administration of Basic Magnesium. In 1947, the United States War Asset Administration offered Henderson for sale as war surplus property. Enrollment in the school system was reduced by two thirds, and well over half the townsite houses, built to house plant workers, became vacant. In 1947, magnesium production was no longer necessary for defense, and most of BMI's 14,000 employees moved away. The British liaison officer sent to Henderson, Major Charles Ball, had a street named after him.Īlthough 'born in America's defense', Henderson's future after World War II was uncertain. Gibson, was one of the original engineers sent to Great Britain to learn the secret of creating the 'miracle metal' which would help the United States and its allies win the war.

A quarter of all US wartime magnesium came from the Henderson Plant to strengthen aluminum, using 25% of Hoover Dam's power to separate the metal from its ore by electrolysis. The plant supplied the US War Department with magnesium for incendiary munition casings and airplane engines, frames, and other parts. Henderson quickly became the main supplier of magnesium in the United States, which was called the 'miracle metal' of World War II. The township of Henderson first emerged in the 1940s during World War II with the building of the Basic Magnesium Plant.

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