Project Coyboy - Plowshare Program, Cowboy Event

Between Dec 1959 and March 1960 a series of High Explosives were set off inside The Carry Salt Works in a unused portion of the mine.

Locals have said for years that this was a nucular test however this has been proven to be untrue.

The Cowboy Event

At 0101 Hours on Feb 1960 a 1,000 Pound high-explosive charge was detonated the codename was CoyBoy Event. The charge was TNT (Peletol) It was poured into a drilled shaft at 727ft bellow ground level. See Diagram
Project Plowboy

Project Plowboy was a 1960, post-shot investigation of fractures in a salt structure from two high explosive detonations during Project Cowboy.

After the explosions the fractures in the salt were studied in an atempt to predict what a nucular explosion underground in salt would do. The results of these studies of the fractures created in the salt are printed online.

Workers who helped install and setup the device were told this was part of the atomic testing program which apparently started the local rumors that an atomic bomb was exploded under winnfield. Such rumors are untrue according to testing records no atomic device has ever been detonated in the state of Louisiana.

Flooding of the Carry Salt mine:

Sometime after the testing the salt mine walls failed and a underground river flooded the mine. (exact date still needed) Some blam the testing on the failure.

Map of the mine showing where test were done

References:

Cowboy Trails. Phase I. Small-Scale Explosive Tests in Salt Domes
Project Cowboy : fracturing of rock salt
Project Cowboy - Project Plowboy
PDF report