Interpretive Sign - Uranium Fever

The Cold War was a hot time in the San Rafael Swell. The need for uranium had prospectors in a fever. Between 1950 and 1956, 50,000 uranium claims were filed in the Emery County Recorders office. Men flocked here in old jalopies and army jeeps, equipped with Geiger counters, picks, and sledgehammers. Some left with millions, others just began driving Buicks and Lincolns. Green River served as the staging point for exploration and the site for ore processing. Prospectors claim Madam Marie Curie visited the area at the turn of the century because it was so rich in deposits, but little mining took place then. During the fifties, the Swell was dotted with mines, but the riches claims were Temple Mountain, Tomsich Butte, Delta-Hidden Splendor, Family Butte, and Tidwell Draw.