New Mexico Mining Museum

Useful Information

Location:	100 North Iron Avenue, Grants.
Open:	All year Mon-Sat 9-16. [2007]
Fee:	Adults USD 3, Children (7-18) USD 2, Children (0-6) free, Seniors (60+) USD 2. [2007]
Classification:	Uranium Mine
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	New Mexico Mining Museum, 100 North Iron Avenue, Grants, NM 87020, Tel: +1-505-287-4802, Free: +1-800-748-2142. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1950	Navajo rancher Paddy Martinez found uranium.
1950s	heyday of uranium mining.

Geology

Description

The New Mexico Mining Museum is primarly a museum. But it has an underground part, a reconstructed uranium mine right below, which may be visited on self guided tours, including the ride on a mine elevator called cage. At the lower end of the ride the visitor reaches Section 26, a central part of the abandoned uranium mine, the place where once workers, materials and mined ore left and entered the mine. There is a miners lunchroom, and an exhibit on drilling and blasting techniques.

The museum above offers various display on local history, from the early ancient cultures to modern times. The topics are railroad, logging, ranching and uranium mining. There is also an exhibition on gems and minerals from all over the world.

Although this is definitely a fine museum and as far as we know unique in the U.S.A., it is not the only Uranium Mining Museum in the World, as they proclaim.