Uranium City, Saskatchewan

Uranium City is a municipality in the northwest of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is located 700 km north of Prince Albert, 700 km north-northeast of Edmonton ( Alberta), and 50 km south of the border between Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories on the north bank of the Athabascasees.

History

In the 19th century led by an old Fellhandelsweg on Lake Athabasca, the Alexander MacKenzie followed on his journey to the Arctic. In addition to the trapping and digging for gold there was in this region hardly economic activity, was found to at Gold Fields gold. In the second half of the 1930s, uranium was found and the Canadian government created the Eldorado Mining and Refining Corporation to control the exploration and mining activities. Private exploration works were banned during the Second World War.

In 1946, Eldorado Mining and Refining began exploratory drilling for exploration of the deposit and after the lifting of the ban exploration originated in a short time many uranium mines.

Uranium City was planned as a residential and supply location for the mines in the Beaverlodge uranium mining area by the provincial government of Saskatchewan and 1952 with the support of Eldorado Nuclear Ltd.. established.

Uranium City suffered from the same problems as other monostructural communities. The development of the city depended on the uranium demand and experienced several ups and downs, closed the last mine to 1982. In other areas of Saskatchewan ( McArthur River, Cigar Lake ) uranium higher proportions were found in the rock and the reduction in Uranium City therefore set.

There is still a primary school, a clinic and a post office.

Population

Initially inhabited by the few inhabitants of Uranium City in tents. The uranium boom let Uranium City flourish into a thriving city with up to 5000 inhabitants. 1982 left the majority of the population of the city abruptly, and now live in the remaining ghost town still about 100 inhabitants.