Chair which belonged to J Robert Oppenheimer and was used by him during his time at Los Alamos Laboratory.
An interesting piece in our collection is the chair used by J. Robert Oppenheimer during his tenure at Los Alamos Laboratory.
So what is the connection to Pagosa Springs?
Robert’s younger brother was Frank Oppenheimer. Frank also worked on the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos. Following the completion of the project and after some political difficulties, Frank and his wife, Jackie, purchased a ranch near Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
Frank taught science in the high school in Pagosa Springs for a couple of years before moving on to teach at the University of Colorado and later creating a museum in San Francisco, California.
This is just one of the unexpected treasures you’ll find in our museum.