<p>(Click <a href="https://www.nuclearnerds.io/story/1506/">HERE</a> for the last chapter)</p>

**Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star - Chapter 2 - Rachel, Nevada**

With the Vegas skyline disappearing from the rear view mirror, they set off for Uncle Bob’s.  Rachel was originally a quiet town with a population of less than a thousand.  This had all begun to change in the late 50s, not long after the US government bought up a big tract of land engulfing a large lakeside retreat outside town.  Groom Lake had been a popular weekend retreat in the area for as long as anyone could remember.  But once the government moved in, within weeks the entire area was sealed off and its perimeter patrolled 24/7, just in case anyone had ideas about a late night skinny dip.  Rachel itself used to be filled with mostly good people and consisted of a main street with a few shops and a local watering hole where the locals gathered to mingle and sip their favorite beverages.

At first changes to the town were gradual, a few new faces, a couple enlisted types having lunch at the diner, an occasional jet fly-by, nothing too out of the ordinary.  As the weeks passed and word of this new secret government land purchase proliferated, that all started to change.  And once the site was officially given a name, “*Area 51*”, it accelerated the transformation into overdrive.  No one really knew its intention and the government was very vague in providing any sort of explanation, the site being classified as Top Secret and all.

So….speculation ensued - wild speculation ... and conspiracies - lots of ‘em.  Nothing was off limits, you had some claiming Fifty-One was being used to harvest some rare earth metals, others saying Noah’s Ark of Christian religious belief had been found and raised from the bottom of the lake, and finally by far the most popular belief, that an alien spaceship had recently crashed nearby.  Of course, all the locals had their own theories.  On any given night at the main street bar you could get an earful of colorful opinions from just about any of them.  The “*Rabbit’s Foot*”, informally referred to as “*The Foot*”, was where a lot of the suspicion and conspiracy theories about Fifty-One were born.   And it wasn’t just the locals, people began coming from all over the country.  Campers would line the roadsides along Highway 375 entering and leaving town.  Some would stay for a few days, others much longer.  The once former quiet town had transformed into some kind of gold rush, doomsday, little green men hotbed filled with degenerates and wild conspiracy advocates from all walks of life.

Science Fiction

"Discover the transformation of a once quiet town in Nevada after the US government's mysterious purchase of Groom Lake, including the rise of wild speculations and conspiracies surrounding Area 51. Get a glimpse of the colorful opinions shared at the local bar, the Rabbit's Foot, and how the town's once quiet atmosphere was replaced by an influx of curious visitors and conspiracy enthusiasts. Dive into the intriguing history of Rachel, Nevada as it evolved from a small town to a hub for alien and government conspiracy tales."

RACHEL, NEVADA: FROM QUIET TOWN TO ALIEN CONSPIRACY HOTSPOT

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