Show Nat ureta Booms Along With Uranium Industry Growth NATURITA In In 1939 there were but 30 people living in this West WestEnd WestEnd WestEnd End Montrose county town Today the population is about 1200 And the entire growth is due to the uranium boom Naturita lies in the famed San Miguel River valley in 11 the uranium uranium uranium uran uran- ium basin of Montrose and San Miguel counties where most of ol Colorados Colorado's ore production production production pro pro- in 1953 occurred Along with the growth in population population population tion has come growth in business including a new service self-service market market mar mar- ket filling station hotel bar res res- a drilling company three trailer courts and a theater Two new churches have also been erected erected erected erect erect- ed and Montrose county has built builta a new shop there One other church is still sun under construction Prior to birth of the uranium boom Naturita was a ranching tyua were community and its people were satisfied to live the slow normal Dormal existence they were accustomed to Now all of that is changed Not only has a hustling bustling way of life been created there created there are the many problems that come with growth of any town Mayor Year Vear Ray and the city council face the task of figuring out a way to provide adequate housing for the people moving into Naturita and Naturita-and and there is no adequate term long-term financing available Construction Con COD is well underway on a water system and local people are demanding that the entire entire entire en en- tire planned system be completed at an additional cost of about 20 20 says Ray Contributing to the prosperity of ol Naturita is the Vanadium Corp of America mill two miles away I employing about men The mill processes uranium and some vanadium and during 1953 increased ed its capacity by 80 percent It is 7 being expanded again To accommodate workers the firm erected erected erected er er- a housing settlement near the mill which it calls The settlement of course is economically economically economically econ econ- tied to Naturita To make other housing available there is talk of a unit 40 housing project just across the San MIguel Miguel Miguel Mi MI- guel river from Naturita However plans are still in the talking stage and so temporary housing must do at least temporarily But even temporary housing is scarce and anda a trailer village which was not yet completed last November was al already already already al- al ready fully rented There is a shortage of classroom classroom classroom class class- room space for Cor school pupils too The growth in number of students has hag been from 40 to a present in the past six years Before the spring thaws come a new Dew classroom addition to the present structure will have been completed and plans plans' are underway to build additional classrooms to eventually enlarge the school to 13 rooms a new heating plant and new toilet facilities facUlties The project all ail told may come to as much as Valuation for taxes in School District District District Dis Dis- 25 which includes grade schools at Naturita and Uravan has jumped from in 1952 to in 1954 Growing space is another pro pro- blem Naturita is nestled in the mountains and the only way it could expand was westward along the river where once not so many years ago cattle grazed on fertile fields Now there are trailer houses hous hous- es businesses and drilling rigs rigs rigs- and lots of people with money in inthe inthe inthe the bank and in their wallets ready to support their growing town to provide for newcomers and for themselves the many necessities that growth creates |