Wyoming has the largest uranium reserves in the United States and historically has provided nearly 80% of national production. When the Cold War began the industry boomed, and nowhere more than in Wyoming.
Uranium ore is partially refined into a powder known as yellowcake for transport. In the boom of the 1950’s, Wyoming uranium was strip mined and made into yellowcake at local production facilities. One shorted lived venue was a mill site near Riverton, which operated for less than 6 years from 1958 to 1963. During this time, the Susquehanna Western uranium mill processed over 800,000 tons of uranium ore from the Gas Hills mining district. When the mill closed, it left behind a 70-acre unlined impound of tailings – nearly 1.8 million cubic yards of radioactive waste.
The town of Riverton and the Wind River Reservation have been dealing with the consequences of this act ever since.
To learn more about the discovery of uranium in Wyoming and its development:
