Western Colorado has a History of Unsuccessful Nuclear Bomb Tests
If you dig deep enough (no pun intended) you'll likely find that while Colorado is full of natural beauty, there are also aspects of the Centennial State that are quite the contrary of nature and beauty.
The abandoned town of Uravan is known for being contaminated by uranium, there are numerous large bunkers built to handle a nuclear bomb and believe it or not, a couple of massive nuclear tests took place in parts of rural Western Colorado that you'd never expect.
Keep scrolling to learn all about the multiple nuclear bomb tests that are part of Western Colorado's past.
Nuclear Bomb Detonation in Rulison Colorado
The first of these nuclear bomb tests took place in Rulison, Colorado back in 1969. The test was administered with hopes of discovering a new, cheap way to acquire the natural gas that was found under the earth's surface in the area.
The test was administered by the United States Atomic Energy Commission and the 40-kiloton bomb shook the earth enough to cause massive landslides and even made bricks fall off of unsuspecting buildings in the Grand Valley.
However, following the detonation of the bomb, which was twice as powerful as the one dropped on Hiroshima during World War II, it was found that the natural gas became contaminated with radiation and was therefore unusable.
Nuclear Bomb Detonation in Rio Blanco County Colorado
Another of these types of tests took place just a few years later in 1973 in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. Like its predecessor, this bomb was detonated in an attempt to acquire natural gas, but also for the purpose of building things like canals and mountain passes.
However, this blast also contaminated the area with radiation and the practice of fracking has replaced what was originally planned for the nukes.
Keep scrolling to check out actual photos of one of the bombs, the aftermath of one of the tests, and more: