History of Uranium Mining & Milling in the West End

I. RADIUM ERA, JOE JR. CAMP AND CONCENTRATOR

The Uravan Uranium Belt is roughly forty miles long and twenty miles wide. Uranium was first found at Roc Creek about six miles down river from Uravan. Ore was mined in East Paradox Valley, the Long Park Area and on Monogram Mesa.

Several companies mined and milled ore in West Montrose Country. Best known was Standard Chemical; The Radium Institute of Colorado and The United States Radium Corporation were the other big companies.

Standard Chemical started construction of the camp at the Coke Oven in East Paradox Valley and the concentrator at Uravan in 1909 and operations began in 1910.

High grade ore was sorted and packed in sacks and shipped to the railhead at Placerville, then on to Canonsville, PA where it was processed. Low grade ore under 2 percent was taken to the Joe Jr. Camp (Uravan) and concentrated before shipment to PA.

Principal uses of radium were medical.

II. UNITED STATES VANADIUM (USV)

In 1928, United States Vanadium purchased the Joe Jr. concentrator and renamed it Uravan; this name was derived from the first syllables of Uranium and Vanadium.

The product was vanadium, an iron vanadate. During this period miners were penalized for ore containing more than 2 percent uranium. Uranium was valueless; it went into the tailings and onto the dumps.

Between 1923 and 1936 mining in Montrose County virtually ceased because the pitchblende ore from the Belgium Congo could be recovered at less expense.

In the mid 1930's increased demand for vanadium from the steel industry led to the opening of the most established mines. By 1941, with the entry of the United states into World war II, vanadium was designated a strategic mineral and the government increased the base price of the mineral.

III. MANHATTAN PROJECT

World War II also pushed the button to harness the atom. Under the code name Manhattan project, the U.S. government sponsored scientific efforts and procurement of raw materials to develop the atom bomb.

In 1942, U.S.V. built a small pilot plant that produced a 20 percent uranium oxide sludge from the treatment of mill tailings from Uravan, Naturtia and other small mills around the country. This plant was located on the opposite side of the San Miguel River from the Uravan Mill.

In all, 66 percent of the domestic uranium that supplied the Manhattan Project came from Uravan, 17 percent came from Naturita and lesser percentages came from other areas.

Uranium from the Uravan area gave the Manhattan Project the needed materials to produce the first atomic bomb that led to the ultimate end of World War II. Uranium shipped from the area was used in the test bomb at Los Alamos and both atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945.

IV. NUCLEAR POWER

Throughout the 50's, during the Cold War build-up of nuclear weapons, the atomic Energy Commission supervised leasing and mining of uranium throughout western Colorado and eastern Utah. The government's quest for uranium for nuclear defense generated a uranium boom which lasted through the 60's.

Beyond war, the nation found many peaceful uses for nuclear energy: electrical generation, cancer treatment, and specialized medical diagnosis techniques using radio isotopes, among others.

Mining and milling operations ceased at Uravan in the early 1980's as demand for nuclear fuel for weaponry and electrical power generation slackened.

V. DEMOLITION

In 1983 Uravan was designated a Super Fund Site. Since then Umetco Minerals has been involved in a fifteen year, 70 million dollar reclamation project. Tailings above the mill have been stabilized and covered, and process wastes from evaporative ponds have been removed. A ground water clean-up program, has also been completed.

When the project is completed you will see the canyon almost as it was before milling operations began.

All that will remain will be the old Joe Jr. boarding house and the Uravan recreation hall. These building will contain a museum containing remnants of the history of radium, vanadium and uranium eras.

Uravan was a company town from start to finish. Standard chemical built a concentrator there in 1914. There was also a boarding house and a tent town there for several years. It was called the Joe Jr. Camp. In 1928 Standard chemical sold out to the United States Vanadium Co. (USV) and they operated the mill until its closure in 1984. They named their company town Uravan. The houses were built in blocks designated with the letters of the alphabet; A to J. the Manhattan project was operated during World War II. The uranium was leached out of the old tailing piles and used to build the atomic bomb. The town and mill closed in 1984 and the town became a super fund site. This is the future site of the Rimrock Historical Society’s mining museum and exhibits.