Area 51 Glossary
Area 51 Glossary Area 51 terms in alphabetical order.
Area II (Area 2) -- Munitions storage area just northeast of Nellis Air Force Base and attached to it. Also known as Nellis Area II and Lake Mead Base [See].
Area 13 -- A small nuclear testing area in the Emigrant Valley north of Area 51. Area 13 is the site of a plutonium dispersal test known as Project 57.
Area 15 -- The numbered area of the Nevada Test Site that is immediately adjacent to Area 51.
Areas 1-30 -- Numbered areas of the Nevada Test Site, with numbers 13, 21, 24 and 28 missing. The sequence of numbered areas on the map follows no obvious order. [See NTS/EIS, v.1, p.4-13]
Area 51 -- A block of government land, a conspiracy or a state of mind....
1. Area 51, in the most literal sense, is a block of land 6 miles north-to-south by 10 miles east-to-west, bordered by the Nellis Bombing and Gunnery Range on the northwest, north, east, and south, and by the Nevada Test Site on the southwest. The designation, "Area 51," appears on the peripheral portion of Nevada Test Site maps in the 1950s and 1960s. Area 51 is bounded, approximately, by longitude 115š45' and 115š56', and latitude
and 36š12.5 and 37š17.5'. (Actual boundaries are in the township/range system.)
2. A broad term for all secret military areas within the Nellis Range complex or Nevada Test Site.
3. A mid-1990s social fad as represented by the following:
a. A now-defunct nightclub in Las Vegas, on Industrial Road behind the Mirage casino, opened late 1995 and closed a few months later. [DR#32]
b. A never-existed nightclub announced in early 1995 but that never opened. Location was to be the forme "Cave" on W. Charleston Blvd. in Las Vegas.
c. A nightclub in Dallas, TX, at 4920 McKinney. Phone 214-599-0022. (5/28/96)
d. A clothing and New Age music store in Miami Beach, Florida.
e. A now-defunct clothing store in Twentynine Palms, California. [DR#32]
f. A "rave" party held in Richmond, California, on July 29, 1995.
g. An arcade video game by Time-Warner Interactive, introduced in 1995. [DR#32]
h. A line of merchandise sold by 800-TREKKER, a company selling Star Trek and science fiction merchandise. The Area 51 line including clothing, hats, coffee mugs and signs with "Area 51" printed on them. 800-TREKKER claims a trademark on the name "Area 51" for these purposes.
i. An unproduced movie, announced in early 1995 but that never started filming. The director and lead character would have been actor Robert Carradine.
j. A computer graphics production company in Pasadena, CA, that has produced special effects for Space: Above and Beyond and other TV shows and movies. Special effects supervisor is Glenn Campbell, no relation to the director of the Area 51 Research Center.
Area 51 Research Center -- A small business in Rachel, Nevada, owned by Glenn Campbell. The Research Center distributes books and information about Area 51 and related topics by mail order and over the internet. The "mail order division" is housed in a mobile home near the gas station in Rachel.
S-4 -- The designation, according to Bob Lazar, for the underground facility at Papoose Lake where he claims to have worked with alien spacecraft. (The S-4 designation for this area has been confirmed by private sources [gc] but not publically.) Lazar says he does not know what the boundaries of "Area S-4" are or what exactly the designation refers. S-4 is also a fairly common geographical designation elsewhere, often
referring to a "Site 4" or a map coordinate where letters mark one axis and numbers the other (like on city street maps). In the Nellis and Nevada Test Site areas, S-4 is...
1. Site of Bob Lazar's alleged saucer base at Papoose Lake.
2. A designation for a soil test site near Groom Lake.
3. A assumed radar site on the Nellis Range used in electronic combat exercises.
4. A map square on the current official map of the Nevada Test Site, covering Highway US-95, 2.5 miles west of the Mercury turnoff, at the closed off turnoff to Jackass Flats Road.
Bald Mountain -- The highest peak of the Groom Range. This peak and most of the rest of the range became military land in the 1980s and are no longer legally inaccessible to civilians. Bald Mountain probably offers an unobstructed view of the Groom Lake base and any other facilities in the Emigrant Valley.
Basecamp -- Site of an auxiliary airstrip, which is paved, well-equipped and actively manned but that neither DOE or the Air Force take responsibility for. Location is adjacent to US-6 about 15 miles northeast of Warm Springs. This site was formerly the "base camp" for the Project Faultless underground nuclear test further to the north.
Bechtel -- A private government contractor assumed to be involved in the management and building projects at Area 51. More info.
Cammo Dudes -- Slang term for the anonymous security personnel who patrol the military borders near Area 51 and adjoining public lands. These guards where camouflage fatigues with no name tags or insignia, and their employer is not confirmed. Term coined by Glenn Campbell in 1993.
CDF -- The "Cammo Dude Force," the organization they belong to.
Cammo Dudette -- The single female spotted on the CDF.
Desert National Wildlife Refuge -- A large wildlife refuge that shares about half of it land with the Nellis Range on the 60-series bombing ranges. One of these co-use areas includes Papoose Lake.
Desert Rock -- The main airfield serving Mercury and the Nevada Test Site. Often used as a mid-air waypoint by Janet jets enroute to Groom Lake.
Dreamland --
1. A restricted block of military airspace in the center of the Nellis Range Complex, encompassing the land boundaries of Area 51 but extending much further beyond it--even several miles over public land on the east. In this airspace block, known on air charts as part of airspace R-4808E, overflight restrictions are unlimited (from ground level to space) and continuous (24 hours). Even most military pilots on exercise in the Nellis Range are not allowed to overfly this zone. Boundaries of Dreamland are longitudes 115š35' and 116š00', and latitudes 37š06' and 37š28'. At the geographical center of Dreamland is the Groom dry lake bed, and to the southwest of that is the military air base.
2. A military aircraft control frequency that directs air traffic, into, out of and through the Dreamland airspace. Also known as "Dreamland Control." Heard on 261.2 MHz.
3. The name of a weekly call-in radio show, syndicated nationwide beginning around 1994, hosted by Art Bell.
EG&G -- A private government contractor assumed to be involved in the management and operations of Area 51. More info.
Emigrant Valley -- Desert Valley in the Nellis Range complex, the site of Groom Lake and Papoose Lake.
Freedom Ridge -- A low ridge, formerly on public land along the military border, that once offered an unobstructed view of the secret Groom Lake air base about 13 miles to the southwest. Discovered on June 30, 1993, by Glenn
Campbell, who gave the hill its name. This land was withdrawn from public use in April 1995 and is no longer legally accessible.
Groom Lake --
1. A dry lake bed, about 3 miles wide and 4 miles long, in the center of the Nellis Range complex. In 1950s and 1960s, lake bed once used as a runway for testing of the U-2 spy plane. The lake may temporarily fill with water during wet winters. See Nevada gazetteer entry on "Groom."
2. A common name for the large military airbase in the Emigrant Valley just south of Groom dry lake.
Code names and synonyms for Groom Lake/Area 51:
• The Ranch or Paradise Ranch -- used by Lockheed. Groom Mine -- Mine at the south end of the Groom Range and directly overlooking the base at Groom Lake. Although surrounded on all sides by newly withdrawn lands of the Nellis Range, the mine is still privately owned. The mine is not active, however, and the owners rarely go there. (They are supposed to give notice to the Air Force when they do.) The
Sheahan family, who once worked the mine and still own part of it, suffered devastating health effects from above ground atomic testing in the 1950s.
Groom Range -- A mountain range north of Groom Lake, seized by the military in the 1980s to prevent civilians from viewing the air base. (Also known as the Southern Timpahute Range to early miners.)
Indian Springs --
1. An auxiliary military airfield on US-95 about 40 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Operated by Nellis Air Force Base.
2. The town across the highway from the base.
3. Common name for a large state prison southeast of the town.
Janet -- Company name used on FAA frequencies for 737 flights ferrying workers from Las Vegas' McCarran Airport to Groom Lake and Tonopah Test Range. Six jets normally make 10-12 roundtrips every weekday to Groom and 8-10 every weekday to Tonopah. Smaller Kingair prop-driven aircraft take workers to Edwards Air Force Base and other destinations. The Janet fleet and terminal were formerly operated by government contractor EG&G, but it is unclear who is operating them now (perhaps Bechtel).
Johnson Controls -- A private government contractor that may be involved in operations in Area 51.
K-Mart -- Code word used by the G.L. perimeter security force (Cammo Dudes) for the parking area on Groom Lake Road where the hiking trail to Freedom Ridge starts. Heard on the radio.
Lake Mead Base -- Now known as Area II of Nellis Air Force Base. Munitions storage area at the base of Sunrise Mountain, just to the northeast of Nellis Air Force Base in North Las Vegas. Half-buried bunkers were used for the storage of nuclear weapons and nuclear test devices when the Nevada Test Site was conducting atomic testing. At one point, Area II was said to house 45% of the free world's nuclear weapons (rumor). Nuclear weapons are almost certainly stored there now, but the number is unknown. More info.
Lincoln County -- The Nevada county in which the Groom Lake base is located, as well as the towns of Rachel and Alamo. County seat is Pioche. More info.
Lincoln County Sheriff's Department (LCSD) -- The public police force in Lincoln County, known for secretly deputizing security G.L. guards and confiscating the film of journalists on behalf of unidentified military authorities. More info.
Little A'Le'Inn -- (pronounced "Little Alien".) A small bar, restaurant and motel housed in a compound of mobile homes in Rachel, Nevada. Formerly known as the Rachel Bar & Grill, the establishment changed its name in 1990 after the UFO watchers started arriving. More info.
Mercury -- A government-owned town that is the supply and administration center for the Nevada Test Site. Not open to the public except by special arrangement, but the town is visible from US-95 about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Mercury Highway -- The main backbone roadway from Mercury through the core of the Nevada Test Site, continuing northeast to Groom Lake. The Groom Lake Road has also been known as Mercury Highway and may be a continuation of it.
Nellis Air Force Base -- U.S. Air Force base in North Las Vegas. Its missions are realistic air combat training and the testing of weapons systems. Nellis Air Force Base controls the vast Nellis Range Complex north of Las Vegas. More info.
Nellis Air Force Base Area II -- See Lake Mead Base.
Nellis Bombing and Gunnery Range -- Vast land area, the size of Connecticut, used for combat exercises and the testing of weapons. Although the Nellis Range surrounds Area 51 but it is unclear weather Area 51 is part of it. Also known as the Nellis Air Force Range, Nellis Range Complex or simply Nellis Range. More info.
Nellis Range Complex -- A term often used by the Air Force to refer to the Nellis Range and related areas without specifying exactly what those areas are. While Nellis Range refers to specific land areas, the "Complex" could refer to anything or nothing at all. As used by Nellis officers, the
"complex" appears to include the land area of the Nellis Range, plus the associated airspace and any electronic tracking and communications systems that may be located off the range. The Air Force is always vague about whether Groom Lake or Area 51 are part of the Nellis Complex.
Nevada Test Site -- America's primarily testing ground for nuclear bombs, initially above ground and later below. Surrounded by the Nellis Bombing and Gunnery Range on three sides. The northeast corner of the NTS borders Area 51. More info.
New World Order -- An alleged conspiracy of world governments to control the citizenry by devious means. The conspiracy is vague and ever-changing but always seems to be connected in some way to Area 51. May be related or synonymous to "One World Government" and "Council on Foreign Relations" (CFR).
Papoose Lake -- Dry lake bed about 15 miles south of Groom lake in the Nellis Bombing and Gunnery Range. Bob Lazar says this is the site of an underground facility where he saw and worked with alien flying saucers.
Papoose Range -- A small mountain range immediately west of the Groom Lake base. The range shields the base from both the Nevada Test Site and Papoose Lake. It is surrounded on all sides by the Emigrant Valley.
Pyramid -- A waypoint used by Janet pilot enroute from Las Vegas to Groom Lake, heard on aviation frequencies. One theory is that "pyramid" is a light-colored hill somewhere between Indian Springs and Groom Lake. Such a hill is visible from Mt. Sterling. It is indistinct on maps, but because of its light color it is distinct to pilots.
Rachel, Nevada -- The nearest town to Area 51, located about 25 miles north of the base on State Highway 375. Population: About 100. Site of the Little A'Le'Inn and the Area 51 Research Center and the stopping point for bewildered tourists with nothing to do.
Pioche, Nevada -- The county seat of Lincoln County. (Pronounced PEE-ohch.) Site of the county jail and the main offices of the county Sheriff. Located about 120 miles from both Groom Lake and Rachel.
Sandia --
1. Sandia Labs, a national laboratory, based a Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, responsible for delivery systems for nuclear weapons. Sandia is contractor at the Nevada Test Site and the Tonopah Test Range.
2. Sandia Strip, a name for the airstrip at Tonopah Test Range.
3. According to John Lear, the name of a secret base at Pahute Mesa in the north of the Nevada Test Site.
Tikaboo Valley -- A wide desert valley east of Groom Lake, that is the nearest a civilian can get to Area 51. The only residence in the valley is a single ranch compound. Nevada Highway 375 runs through the valley from southeast to northwest for about 20 miles.
Tikaboo Peak -- A 7908' peak about 25 miles east of Groom Lake. The peak, which is public land, offers a distance view of the base. A hike of about 2 hours is required to reach the summit.
Tonopah Test Range -- (also known as Tonopah, TTR and Sandia Strip.) A semi-secret air base and surrounding testing area in the Nellis Range complex about 30 miles southeast of the town of Tonopah. The base was the primary testing ground for the F-117A stealth fighter before it was made
public. Approximate location of base: N37š48', W116š47'. More info.
Wackenhut -- A private government contractor that provides security at the Nevada Test Site. There is no evidence that it provides any services at Area 51 however. More info.
White Sides -- A small mountain, formerly on public land along the military border, that once offered an unobstructed view of the secret Groom Lake air base about 13 miles to the southwest. Discovered by UFO watchers shortly
after Bob Lazar came forward with his S-4 flying saucer claims. The name is shown on USGS maps and comes for the mountains light-colors sides. This land was withdrawn from public use along with Freedom Ridge in April 1995 and is no longer legally accessible.
Yucca Mountain -- Site of a proposed long-term nuclear waste storage facility. Straddles the southwest edge of the Nevada Test Site. The Yucca Mountain project is a topic of much political controversy in Nevada.
Security Force Code Names:
Taken from radio transmissions and the security manual:
The Editor -- Glenn Campbell (informal)