(IDAHO FALLS, Idaho) — Looking for a winter day trip? The Experimental Breeder Reactor I (EBR-I) Museum, located 50 miles west of Idaho Falls on U.S. 20, will be open to the public Friday, Dec. 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no cost for entry. This year, a free bus from Idaho Falls will be available for the first 50 people to register.
The reactor was completed in 1951 and became the first nuclear reactor to produce a usable amount of electricity on Dec. 20, 1951. EBR-I was operated until late 1963 and decommissioned in 1964. It was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark on Aug. 25, 1966, by President Lyndon Johnson and Glenn Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
Earlier this year, Jim Whitham donated his dad’s lab coat to the INL Archives. His father, Kirby Whitham, was part of the original EBR-I crew, and his signature is on the wall. The lab coat will be on display at the museum on Dec. 20.
“We’ve been celebrating Idaho National Laboratory’s 75th anniversary all year, and this is one more chance for us to share our history with community members,” said Shelly Norman, INL ambassador. Visitors can download the free TravelStorys app and listen to an on-demand tour of INL on their drive across the desert.
Winter is the off-season for the museum, but it will be open Dec. 20. No reservations are necessary. Guided and self-guided tours will be available. To reserve a seat on the bus, please email [email protected] with the number of people in your party.
NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
Shelly Norman, 509-492-7484, [email protected]
Sarah Neumann, 208-520-1651, [email protected]
