Uravan, Colorado, Montrose County Uravan, once a bustling mining town, now stands as a haunting reminder of the past, encapsulating the spirit of the American West and its transient nature. Below is detailed information about the town.
County: Montrose County
Zip Code: Not available
Latitude / Longitude: 38.3833° N, 108.75° W
Elevation: 5,200 feet (1,585 meters)
Time Zone: Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT)
Established: 1936
Disestablished: 1984
Comments:
The U.S. Vanadium Corporation established Uravan to house workers mining vanadium and uranium, critical materials for the war effort during World War II and the Cold War. The town was named by combining “uranium” and “vanadium.”
After the mines were exhausted and environmental concerns arose, Uravan was dismantled and deconstructed as part of a Superfund cleanup due to radioactive contamination. Uravan (a contraction of Uranium vanadium) is an abandoned uranium mining town in western Montrose County, Colorado, United States, now a Superfund site.
The town was a company town established by the U.S. Vanadium Corporation in 1936 to extract the rich vanadium ore in the region. As a byproduct of vanadium extraction, small amounts of uranium were also produced, which was then mostly used as a yellow pigment.
Remains:
The site has been largely cleared, with minimal remains of buildings. Some foundations and remnants of the town’s layout can still be seen. The area is marked with signs indicating its historical significance and past contamination.
Dolores Cave was inhabited from about 600 BC to AD 1400. A corn cob dated about AD 1500 was found in the site, which indicates that corn was grown in the area after the Ancient Pueblo People (Anasazi) abandoned their Colorado pueblos in the 13th century.
Tabeguache Cave II is a large prehistoric rock shelter from AD 600 – 1500. There is also a Tabeguache Cave and two other rock shelters near Nucla, Colorado. In 1885, placer gold was discovered in a tributary of the San Miguel River, Mesa Creek, nine miles from Ouray.
The Montrose Placer Mining Company constructed the “Hanging Flume” on the east wall of Dolores River Canyon.
Current Status:
Uravan is now a ghost town and part of the Uravan Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Due to ongoing environmental safety measures, it is inaccessible to the public.
The town was located approximately 90 miles (140 km) south-southwest of Grand Junction along the San Miguel River. At one time, over 800 people lived in Uravan, which housed a school, a trading center (store), medical facilities, tennis courts, a recreation center, and a pool.
However, the 1980s abandoned Uravan, and no trace of its former buildings remains.
Remarks:
Uravan is a stark example of the environmental and human impact of mining activities. It highlights the balance between industrial progress and environmental stewardship. The town’s history is preserved through photographs, documents, and memories of former residents, offering insights into a bygone era of American history.
On May 6, 2012, the Montrose County Board of County Commissioners signed the Omnibus Agreement with Dow Chemical, giving them three tracts of land: Ballpark Parcel #1, a 133-acre plot between Hwy. 141 and the San Miguel River, Ballpark Parcel #2, approximately 10 acres northwest of the first parcel, and the Townsite property, located between County Rd. EE22 and County Rd. Y11. Montrose County agreed to accept this property on behalf of the Rimrocker Historical Society of Western Montrose County, which has worked tirelessly since 1990 to preserve and interpret the history of Uravan properly.
The Rimrocker Historical Society and Montrose County entered into a long-term lease on May 1, 2013, for a 17-acre section of Ballpark parcel #1, to build a museum and campground on the property.
The Rimrocker Historical Society of Western Montrose County hosts the annual Uranium History Celebration and Reunion Picnic at Historic Uravan, Colorado, every August, sponsored in part by the Cold War Patriots. Over 1,000 people attended the 100th anniversary of the original Joe Jr. Mill in 2012.
