John Emerson, a mining engineer, talks about his education and early career in mining prior to his involvement in the Manhattan Project. He speaks about his move to Mesa County, Colorado in 1943 and his work with the Union Mines Development Corporation, researching and developing uranium for use in the first atomic bombs. He describes the corporations, locations, and processes involved in vanadium and uranium mining and processing, including Uravan and the Climax Uranium Mill in Grand Junction. He discusses the geology of rock formations where uranium is found. He talks about the formation of the Atomic Energy Commission and its role in overseeing uranium mining. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
*Photograph from the 1938 Colorado School of Mines annual
