Uranium ore was discovered in western New Mexico in 1950 which made the small town of Grants, New Mexico a boomtown of sorts. Uranium was needed by the US government for nuclear weapon development until the 1970s when its main use was in power plants. Jobs in the mines and mills were easy to get and the pay was good. The workers did not realize that breathing in the dust, working in a radon saturated atmosphere, and drinking radioactively contaminated water would injure and sicken them and their families. Many miners died of lung cancer. Miscarriages and birth defects were common in families where the husband or wife worked in the uranium industry.
The museum has good exhibits that give the facts in a non-committal way and gloss over problems such as the health of workers or the disposal of radioactive waste. The most interesting exhibit is a recreated uranium mine which takes up the entire basement level.
The museum is accessible. An elevator provides access down to the “mine”. The main path through mine is paved and smooth.
Small RVs will fit in the parking lot. Larger RVs can be parked along the alley by the park to the west of the museum.
Museum 35.15356, -107.85425
And THAT'S a drill bit!
ReplyDeleteWe've never seen one this big and we've been to a lot of mining museums!
DeleteGreat photos!
ReplyDeleteThanks. :- )
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