Existing comment:
Mining:
Prospectors explored this area as early as the 1890s. Although no exploitable deposits were developed, many mining claims were staked in the surrounding area.
The importance of mining to the local economy reached its zenith during the 1950s when Moab became the "Uranium Capitol of the World." In 1952, Charlie Steen discovered a multi-million dollar deposit of uranium ore south of Moab that triggered a uranium boom. Steen and his partners built a mill on the banks of the Colorado River to refine ore from the surrounding area. The boom ended in the 1970s and the mill closed in 1984, but not before drawing attention to southeast Utah and changing Moab from a hamlet into a small city. |