Moab has a history of uranium mining. During World War 2 and afterward, the demand for uranium spurred a "uranium boom" that affected Moab in a big way. There used to be a uranium processing facility here, but now all that is left is a dirt-covered radioactive tailings pile---the tiered hill at upper right.

When I took this picture in 2006, the Department of Energy planned to remove the stuff for placement elsewhere. Movement of the tailings began in April 2009 with “dirt train” shipments operated by Union Pacific Railroad on its Cane Creek Branch rail line that passes close to this site. The tailings are being buried permanently at Crescent Junction, about 30 miles north of here.