A groundbreaking for the Linear Accelerator was held with the neighboring communities on a snowy December 1, 1968. The Booster Ring and the four-mile Main Ring were constructed between 1969 - 1971. Once the final magnet was installed in the Main Ring on April 16, 1971, the fine-tuning of this unprecedented scientific tool began. After a stressful commissioning period the design energy was finally reached in March 1972. The task had been completed faster and for less money than anyone had dreamed possible. The entire staff celebrated this momentous milestone in the basement of the new Central Laboratory, then only a few stories high.