Agricultural goods such as livestock, fruits and wine have been beneficial staples of Western Colorado’s economy. The other not so stable part of the economy has been the mining industry. Mining for specific minerals has always been followed by waves of economic and population booms followed by devastating. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas continue to be extracted in rural parts of the Colorado Plateau, but there is another mineral that has been historically sought out and is worth millions. It is neither gold nor silver, but uranium.
Since 1898, the Colorado Plateau has been a central hub for prospectors, miners, scientists, and companies to profit from the rich minerals beneath the surface. Many booms came from the use and study of radioactivity, specifically that of uranium and radium. These minerals are often found within carnotite compound along with vanadium. Moab was one of the many self-proclaimed uranium capitals of the world, resting along the Morrison geological formation, a hotbed for carnotite fissures.
Uranium
Uravan
The town of Uravan (a combination of the words uranium and vanadium) in Montrose County was established when the United States Vanadium Corporation constructed a 125-ton mill and roasting plant. Another 25-ton plant was established in Cedar by the Utah Vanadium Corporation.[1]
[1] Department of the Interior, R.I. 3930, September 1946.
Image caption: Manhattan Project mill at Uravan.
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project came to the Colorado Plateau. The US War Department acquired a 55.71-acre tract of land 2 miles south of Grand Junction, CO and constructed a few buildings, a uranium refinery mill, and a log cabin. This was the established as the headquarters for the Manhattan Project: a top-secret government-supported organization to develop atomic weapons. Grand Junction was a strategic location for the project because of its proximity to the mining towns of the Colorado Plateau and the railroad.
Image caption: Manhattan Project headquarters in Grand Junction, CO. 1983.63.122
Slowing production
With the end of the war nearing, the Metals Reserve Company had slowed production resulting in the end of production, buying, and selling of vanadium.
Image caption: Typical scene of mining on the Colorado Plateau in the 1950s. 1982.171.30
TNT
Some urban legends suggest the Army Corps of Engineers test atomic weapons in Mesa County, but the truth is they (only) tested TNT and bunker designs on the Uncompaghre Plateau.[1]
Image caption: Worker “probing” a car load of minerals, tests its radioactivity with a T-handle probe and ratemeter, April 4, 1967. 1981.267.4.
[1] Jean Moore, Gateway/Unaweep Canyon: At Some Point in Time (Decorah, IA: Anundsen Publishing Co., 2000): 345.
Manhattan Leaves
The base for the Manhattan project was transferred to the newly formed Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), which took ownership of the Gunnison River site and the Calamity Mesa Claims.[1]
[1] William Chenoweth, “The Manhattan Project in Mesa County”, 2.
Image caption: Plaque from the Atomic Energy Commission. It was displayed at the headquarters in Grand Junction. Former AEC manager, Elton A. Youngbert, donated it to the museum.
Monticello
The Atomic Energy Commission opened the only government-owned processing mill at Monticello, Utah.
Image caption: Yellow Cake (uranium) after processing in Monticello, UT. 1982.171.61
Climax Uranium Mill
The Climax Uranium Mill replaced the former sugar beet mill and processed more than 2 million tons of ore, producing 12 million pounds of uranium oxide, and 46 million pounds of vanadium oxide.[1]
[1] Department of Energy, Environmental Assessment of Ground Water Compliance at the Grand Junction UMTRA Project Site, (Grand Junction, CO: Department of Energy: 1999).
Image caption: Aerial shot of the Climax Uranium Mill. 1983.63.234
AEC Exploration
The Atomic Energy Commission partnered with the United States Geological Survey to carry out extensive geological studies and exploration of nuclear energy along the Colorado Plateau.
“One of the important jobs of the AEC is to obtain the raw materials… With a start of eleven employees in 1947, now more than fourteen hundred AEC and contractor employees work out of the Grand Junction office, surveying, geologizing, analyzing, bookkeeping, managing, explaining and answering questions about uranium and how to find it.”[1]
[1] Al Look, U-Boom: Uranium on the Colorado Plateau (Denver: Bell Press, 1956)
Image caption: Aerial view of the AEC in the 1950s. 1983.63.19
Mi Vida Mine
Geologist Charlie Steen struck gold (errr uranium) when he invested $1,000 into a massive high grade uranium deposit found in Big Indian Wash of Lisbon Valley in Moab Utah. Steen named the mine “Mi Vida” (My Life), that earned him millions. His winnings would make Moab one of the most important uranium deposits and inspired a movement for people to seek fortunes in the Four Corners region.
Image caption: The hunt for uranium inspired a new generation of prospectors eager to cash in, such as this man and boy. 1983.63.71
Mill Tailings
Between 1952 and 1966, between 150,000 and 200,000 tons of mill tailings[1] were used by construction companies, materials supply contractors, and individuals for a variety of purposes, specifically used as backfill for building and construction projects in Grand Junction.[2]
[1] Mill tailings: the mineral residue after uranium ore has been processed.
[2] US Atomic Energy Commission, Report of Practicability Study & Cost Estimate Removal of Uranium Mill Tailings from under or near certain residences in the Grand Junction, Colorado Area. (Grand Junction: AEC, Sep. 1971), 3.
Image caption: 1996.64 Downtown Grand Junction in the 1950s. Many structures, roads, and projects in Grand Junction were built with radioactive materials that have been proven to be hazardous and dangerous.
Airborne Section
The Airborne Section was formed in Grand Junction to survey the rugged landscape in search of mineral outcrops. 10 Piper Super Cub planes, pilots, and a geologist-observer took to the skies.
Image caption: One of the survey planes used to identify potential mining locations. 1983.63.193
Miss Atomic Energy
Grand Junction hosted its second Miss Atomic Energy, a contest sponsored by the Uranium Ore Producers Association and the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce. The winnings included a truckload of uranium, amounting to 11.2 tons worth $523.54. ($5,258.74 in 2021 dollars)
Image caption: Karen Keeler (third from left) of Denver is crowned Miss Atomic Energy, winning a truckload full of uranium ore. Left to right: Shirley Riggs, Eugene H. Sanders, Karen Keeler, Cathy Gordon, Jo Reva Beane, and Barbara Talarico. 1983.63.236.
Uranium Production
The AEC purchased uranium ore from 531 producers across 11 states, primarily coming from Utah (197 producers) and Colorado (142).[1]
The Airborne Section program ceased, after surveying 81,000 acres across 11 states.
| Year | Pounds | Value | $/pound | Inflation adjusted $/pound |
| 1955 | 2,219,000 | $9,454,000 | $4.26 | $27.19 |
| 1960 | 6,539,000 | $27,843,000 | $4.26 | $38.74 |
| 1970 | 1,635,000 | $6,742,000 | $4.12 | $28.58 |
| 1980 | 2,397,000 | $68,248,000 | $28.47 | $93.01 |
| 1982 | 2,895,000 | $111,080,000 | $38.37 | $107.04 |
| 1987 | 5,320,000 | $146,610,000 | $27.56 | $65.31 |
Image caption: View of vanadium drum storage in 1958. 1983.63.156
[1] The Daily Sentinel, September 2, 1956, 1
[2] Despite its high values, the market could not sustain itself and there were limited buyers. Pounds and value per year from (Raye Ringholz, “Utah’s Uranium Boom,” historytogo.gov)
Cancer and Uranium Workers
Dr. Geno Saccomanno of Saint Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, CO, was funded by the U.S. Public Health Service, the Atomic Energy Commission, the Department of Energy, and the Uranium Producers of America to further examine correlation between cancer and uranium workers. He became a leading figure in the medical community, and published 95 articles examining different medical issues, specifically lung cancer, that drastically increased throughout the uranium boom.
Uranium Bust
With 9 million tons of ore valued at $250 million, the Atomic Energy Commission announced that “it no longer in the interest of the Government to expand production of uranium concentrate.” The uranium boom busted once the there was no longer a market, and there were still 71 million tons of uranium ore in reserve. Private enterprises were invited to continue the buying and selling of uranium products, but over time, it decreased in value.[1]
Image caption: Miner in action. 1983.78.13
[1] Raye Ringholz, “Utah’s Uranium Boom” Beehive History 16 (Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society, 1990), 25.
Recession
In the 1970s, Grand Junction entered a recession era, with limited jobs, as uranium mining went bust as the US government stopped paying private companies for uranium. Uranium had found its way into the foundation of Grand Junction and had to undergo a massive reconstruction and reassess health issues. Workers found employment in mill tailing removal.
Image caption: Woody Powell, 23, and Walt Moore, 21, taking a break at a mine entrance. 1982.171.66
Nov. 24, 1970
The 140-foot smokestack of the Climax uranium mill was demolished.
Image caption: Photos of the Climax Uranium Mill tower being demolished. It took 1.5 seconds to fall and 190 explosives. 1983.51, .52, .53, .58.
Jan. 26 1971
The AEC delivered its last load of uranium products from Atlas Corporation’s Plant in Moab.
Image caption: The last load of uranium/vanadium being transported. 1983.63.163
Mill Tailings Removal
From 1989 – 1994, the City of Grand Junction underwent a massive removal of mill tailings affecting approximately 4,000 properties. The DoE spent $65 million in western Colorado, $27.5 million dedicated to Mesa County alone.[1] UMTRAP dedicated $180 million to Mesa County’s mill tailing removal.[2]
Image caption: Yves Gallet is sitting in his living room during the mill tailings removal. Photographed by John McCoy of the Daily Sentinel. 2004.44.151
[1] Ginger Rice, “Tailings work boon to area economy,” The Daily Sentinel, July 17, 1990.
[2] Steve McMillan, “GJ may get some help with pool: mill tailings may force DOE to help pay bill,” The Daily Sentinel, March 6, 1985.
Cheney Disposal Site
The city faced backlash from the community in Whitewater, who did not want the disposal site to be in the vicinity.
Image caption: Memorabilia from the Uranium Club and two items created to protest the location for mill tailings disposal. The can of “sun-dried whitewater prairie dog, killed by a mill tailing truck off of US 50. . . best served with pinto beans and a Cok” was sold in the Whitewater General Store for 99 cents as a humorous dig against the disposal site. 1991.96.1, 1990.61.1, 1990.61.2
US Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
The United States Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was passed, providing monetary compensation to those affected by radiation exposure during uranium extraction, transportation, and nuclear testing.
Image caption: Close-up view of a corroded vanadium drum with a hole. 1983.63.161
Disposal
About 4.4 million cubic yards of contaminated materials were disposed of in the 94-acre Cheney cell, which has controlled access and lacks any source of groundwater.
Image caption: Cheney Disposal Site in 1994. 2019.9.16
Bibliography
Amundson, Michael A. Yellowcake Towns: Uranium Mining Communities in the American West. Boulder, Colorado: University Press of Colorado, 2004.
Atomic Energy Commission. Prospecting for Uranium. Washington DC: Atomic Energy Commission, 1951
Chenoweth, William. “The Manhattan Project in Mesa County.” July 1984.
Chenoweth, William. “Uranium in Western Colorado.” The Mountain Geologist 14, no. 3 (July 1978): 89-95.
Huleatt, W.P., Hazen Jr., Scott W., Traver Jr., William M. Report of Investigation: Exploration of Vanadium Region of Western Colorado and Eastern Utah. US Department of the Interior, September 1946.
Look, Alfred. U-Boom: Uranium on the Colorado Plateau. Denver: Bell Press, 1956.
Lubenau, Joel, and Edward Landa. Radium City: A History of America’s First Nuclear Industry. Pittsburgh: Heinz History Center, 2019.
McMillan, Steve. “GJ may get some help with pool: mill tailings may force DOE to help pay bill.” The Daily Sentinel, March 6, 1985.
Moore, Jean. Unaweep Canyon: At Some Point in Time. Decorah, IA: Anundsen Publishing Co., 2000.
Rice, Ginger. “Tailings work boon to area economy.” The Daily Sentinel, July 17, 1990.
Smithsonian Institution Online Collection. https://www.si.edu/object/piper-pa-18-super-cub%3Anasm_A19761155000
Sullenberger, Robert. “100 Years of Uranium Activity in the Four Corners Region.” Journal of the Western Slope 7, no. 4 (Fall 1992): 2.
US Atomic Energy Commission. Report of Practicability Study & Cost Estimate Removal of Uranium Mill Tailings from under or near certain residences in the Grand Junction, Colorado Area. Grand Junction, CO: AEC, 1971.
US Congress. House. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Raw Materials of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. 92nd Cong, 1st sess., 1971.
US Department of Energy. Environmental Assessment of Ground Water Compliance at the Grand Junction UMTRA Project Site. Grand Junction, CO: Department of Energy: 1999.
Webb, Dennis. “Trump signed bill extends life of area mill tailings disposal site.” The Daily Sentinel, December 29, 2020.
Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration.
Additionally, the William Chenoweth Collection, which includes a variety of materials relating to the history of uranium in western Colorado, was catalogued and digitized as part of the grant. Soon, you’ll be able to view these items online!