Calamity Camp

Public Lands Collection

: Structure 1 after restoration to fix the collapsed roof.

: Structure 1 before restoration.

: One of the remaining stone Cabins at Calamity camp.

Calamity Mesa, outside of Gateway, once had a number of uranium, vanadium and radium mines. Calamity Camp, where the miners and their families lived, was active from 1913 to the mid-1960s. It was a community for hundreds of people during the twentieth century. The first radium miners lived a rugged and difficult life. The last group of uranium miners still lived a harsh lifestyle but luxuries like electricity, running water, and regular access to Gateway and Grand Junction were available.

Mining was dangerous work. The men worked with heavy machinery and explosives. Their mines were dug deep underground where the air was bad, and dust was everywhere. The very material they were looking for was radioactive. It wasn’t known at the time, but radioactive material, like uranium, can cause cancer and other health problems.

Calamity Camp became a ghost town in the 1960s when the demand for uranium ended. Families left the area looking for new opportunities. While the people that once lived at Calamity Camp have moved on, their stories and evidence of how they lived still remain. Sadly, time is taking its toll on Calamity Camp. In 2007, the Grand Junction Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, the Museum of Western Colorado, and Gateway Canyons Resort started a project to save some of the buildings. New roofs have been placed on some of the stone cabins to help save the stone walls. In 2011 the property was given the honor of being added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Today at the Calamity Camp site, visitors can see the preserved camp buildings and can explore the camp structures. They stand as a reminder of an important part of Western Colorado’s history.

Click on the photos below for more information.

A Blasting Cap box from the BLM Collection.

A gold crucible from the BLM Collection.

A great deal of work went into the building of Calamity Camp. The thick stone walls and this grand fireplace are evidence of the effort made to create a home far from civilization.

A warning sign as you enter the Calamity Camp reminds visitors of the potential hazards still present around the camp.

An air pneumatic drill bit used at Calamity Camp. BLM Collection.

Carbide can lid from the Calamity Camp. BLM Collection.

Child's wagon found at Calamity Camp. BLM Collection.

Glass jars from Calamity Camp. The left contains an unknown sludge, possibly food residue. The right is a plum preserve jar complete with possible plums. BLM Collection.

One of the remaining stone Cabins at Calamity camp.

Parson's Ammonia Company glass bottle. The decoration along the sides was made to help grip the bottle when used with wet or soapy hands. Calamity Camp, BLM Collection.

Prince Albert Tobacco tin from the 1950_s. Found at the Calamity Camp. BLM Collection.

Radio found at Calamity Camp. BLM Collection.

Radio found at Calamity Camp. In order to preserve the artifact, it was collected by BLM

Sandstone core sample fragments from the Calamity Camp. BLM Collection.

Stabilizing efforts like the addition of this new roof help to preserve the buildings at the Calamity Camp.

Structure 1 after restoration to fix the collapsed roof.

The yellow glass could be uranium glass. The middle fragment is the head of a figurine of a woman in a bonnet. The blue glass is from a Vick's Vaporub bottle. BLM Collection.

Trash heap at Calamity Camp. Archaeologists and historians can learn a great deal about a community by looking at their trash.

Claim map of Calamity Camp. Museums of Western Colorado.