Welcome to A People's Atlas of Nuclear Colorado
To experience the full richness of the Atlas, please view on desktop.
Navigating the Atlas
You may browse the Atlas by following the curated "paths" of information and interpretation provided by the editors. These paths roughly track the movement of radioactive materials from the earth, into weapons or energy sources, and then into unmanageable waste—along with the environmental, social, technical, and ethical ramifications of these processes. In addition to the stages of the production process, you may view in sequence the positivist, technocratic version of this story, or the often hidden or repressed shadow side to the industrial processing of nuclear materials.
Using the buttons on the left, you may also browse the Atlas's artworks and scholarly essays, access geolocated material on a map, and learn more about contributors to the project.
If you would like to contribute materials to the Atlas, please reach out to the editors: Sarah Kanouse (s.kanouse at northeastern.edu) and Shiloh Krupar (srk34 at georgetown.edu).
Cover Image by Shanna Merola, "An Invisible Yet Highly Energetic Form of Light," from Nuclear Winter.
Atlas design by Byse.
Funded by grants from Georgetown University and Northeastern University. Initial release September 2021.
Using the buttons on the left, you may also browse the Atlas's artworks and scholarly essays, access geolocated material on a map, and learn more about contributors to the project.
If you would like to contribute materials to the Atlas, please reach out to the editors: Sarah Kanouse (s.kanouse at northeastern.edu) and Shiloh Krupar (srk34 at georgetown.edu).
Cover Image by Shanna Merola, "An Invisible Yet Highly Energetic Form of Light," from Nuclear Winter.
Atlas design by Byse.
Funded by grants from Georgetown University and Northeastern University. Initial release September 2021.
Mark Iverson, Paradox Valley, Colorado, proposed site of mothballed Piñon Canyon Uranium Mill, 2008, Wikimedia Commons
Site
Paradox Mines
Located in Montrose County, the company town of Paradox and its associated mines were, like Uravan, Nucla, Naturita and several other nearby towns, created in response to the rise in demand for uranium after World War II. In the 1940s, uranium mining led to the establishment of several mill towns in Colorado, dubbed "yellowcake towns." Paradox is just one of many yellowcake towns in the Uravan Belt. In the north, uranium was mined from the Bitter Creek claims high above Paradox valley. In the south, the Cotter Corporation dug an open pit mine in the 1980s. The crash of the uranium market following the Three Mile Island reactor incident caused the mine to close before it could start production.
Zasky, Jason. "Uravan, Colorado." Failure Magazine, November 21, 2012. Accessed September 30, 2020.
Mining History Association. "2016 Mining History Association Tour: Tours of the Colorado Plateau Uranium Country." Mike Kaas Photo Gallery. Accessed July 31, 2020.
Sources
Conway, Bernard. "Uranium Mining." Colorado Encyclopedia. Accessed July 31, 2020.Zasky, Jason. "Uravan, Colorado." Failure Magazine, November 21, 2012. Accessed September 30, 2020.
Mining History Association. "2016 Mining History Association Tour: Tours of the Colorado Plateau Uranium Country." Mike Kaas Photo Gallery. Accessed July 31, 2020.
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