WESTERN COLORADO'S URANIUM LEGACY

Since early in the 20th century the uranium-vanadium deposits in the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation have been exploited for radium, vanadium and uranium. From 1913 to 1922 the oxidized deposit were the world's leading source of radium salts. In the mid 1930s, vanadium became important as it was used as a steel alloy for war armor. Mills were built in southwestern CO and southeastern UT to process the ore. Between 1943 and 1945 the Manhattan Engineer District (MED) secretly recovered uranium from vanadium mill tailings. The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) took over the functions of the MED in 1947. The price schedules, bonuses and other incentives of the AEC created a huge boom throughout the western U.S. In CO and UT many deep,unoxidized deposits in the Salt Wash Member were discovered and mined. Old vanadium mills were converted to recover uranium and several new mills were built. After the AEC program ended in 1970,all uranium produced was for the nuclear power industry. A second boom in the late 1970's was shortlived, and today, millsites and mines are being reclaimed. Begining in 2003,a few mines were being reopened due higher uranium prices.