| Show naturita Naf Na urita turita booms along with uranium industry growth NATURITA in 1939 there were but 30 people living in this west end montrose county town today the population is about 1200 and the anti entice e growth is due to the uranium boom naturita Na turita lies in the famed san miguel river valley in the uranium basin of montrose and sao san miguel counties where most of colorados ore production in 1953 occurred along with the growth in population has come growth in business including a new self service market filling station hotel bar res caurant tau rant a drilling company three trailer courts and a theater two new churches have also been erected end and montrose county has built a new mew shop there one other church is still under construction prior to birth of tl the uranium boom naturita Na turita was ranching community and its people were satisfied to live the slow normal existence they were accustomed to now all of that is changed not only has a hustling bustling bustling way of life been created there are the many problems that come with growth of any town mayor year vear bay ray and the city council face the task of figuring out a way to provide adequate housing for the people moving 0 im in into 0 naturita Na turita and there is no adequate dequan de quat long term financing fin financing ancin g av available con st ruction is well underway on a water system and local people are demanding that the entire planned system be completed at an additional cost of about 20 says bay ray contributing to the prosperity of naturita Na turita is the vanadium corp of america mill two miles away employing about men the mill processes uranium and some vanadium and during 1953 increased its capacity by 80 percent it is now being expanded again to accommodate workers the fir firm erected a housing settlement near the mill which it calls vanc Van coram the settlement of course is economically omi cally tied to naturita Na turita to make other housing available there is talk of a 40 unit housing project just across the san miguel river from naturita Na turita however plans are still in the talking stage and so temporary housing must do at least temporarily but even temporary housing is scarce and a trailer village which was not yet completed last november was already fully rented there is a short shortage tige of cl cla is s room space for school pupils too the growth in number of of students students has been from 40 to a present in the past six years before the spring thaws come a new classroom addition to the present structure truc ture will have been completed and plans are underway to build additional classrooms to eventually enlarge the school to 13 rooms a new heating ing plant and new toilet facilities the project all told may come to as much as valuation for taxes in school district 25 which includes grade schools at naturita Na turita and uravan cravan has jumped from in 1952 to in 1954 growing crowing space is another problem Natt naturita Na turita trita is nestled in tin 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 businesses and drilling rigs and lots of people with money in the bank and in their wallets ready to support alport their growing town to provide provid for newcom newcomers and for themselves ther then selves the many necessities that growth creates |
