Area 51 request filed in 2005, the CIA publicly acknowledged the existence of the base for the first time, declassifying documents detailing the history and purpose of Area 51. Area 51 is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, north-northwest of Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large military airfield. The site was acquired by the United States Air Force in 1955, primarily for the flight testing of the Lockheed U-2 aircraft. The area around Area 51, including the small town of Rachel on the "Extraterrestrial Highway", is
Sangamon River State Fish and Wildlife Area Sherman. Sangamon River State Fish and Wildlife Area The Sangamon River State Fish and Wildlife Area, also and formerly known as the "Sangamon County Conservation Area" and the "Sangamon River State Habitat Area", is a 127-acre (51-hectare) forest preserve located in Fancy Creek Township near the village of Cantrall in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located on the banks of the Sangamon River, and preserves open space for visitors and residents of metropolitan Springfield, Illinois. Topographically, the Sangamon River State Fish and Wildlife Area is a patch of central Illinois bluffland characterized by loamy hills and ravines on