Ep 2: Company Town

After World War II, uranium became one of the most sought-after elements in the world — and in the sparse canyons of the four-corners region, uranium company towns began to mine the ore for the U.S. Government. The 1950s were the golden years, when rich “uraniumaires” bought private jets and anybody could go from country rags to riches. But before long, the uranium rush would come crashing down. 
 Find transcripts, references, and photos for the series at ⁠www.aleccowan.com/boomtown⁠ 
 In this episode: Howard and Caren Stephens, former Union Carbide employees and residents of Uravan 
 Bill Barnes Sr., former Union Carbide mill worker and resident of Uravan 
 Eva Fernandez, former Uravan resident 
 Bob Ince, a one-time uranium miner whose family operated mines in Gateway, CO 
 Michael Amundson, professor of history at Northern Arizona University 


Om Podcasten

For 50 years Uravan, Colorado, was a uranium hub of America. Mining “yellowcake” was at the center of everyday life, where kids played on radioactive tailings and residents used mine waste for garden beds. Then residents started getting sick. Through interviews with historians, health experts, environmentalists, and uranium workers past and present, local documentarian Alec Cowan explores how uranium transformed the American West. As nuclear energy revives the controversial industry today, will the scars of uranium’s past influence the future? Or are some things best left underground?