Uranium City

In 1949, athabascaite was discovered by S. Kaiman while he was researching radioactive materials around Lake Athabasca near Uranium City.

In 1952, the provincial government decided to establish a community to service the mines in the Beaverlodge uranium area developed by Eldorado Mining and Refining, a federal crown corporation. In 1954, the local newspaper, The Uranium Times, noted that 52 mines were operating and 12 open-pit mines were next to Beaverlodge Lake.[3] Initially, most of the residences in Uranium City were simply tents.

Some of the mines operating in the area included the Gunnar Mine, the Lorado Mine, and the Fay-Ace-Verna Mine in Eldorado, Saskatchewan.

Two options were considered for communities in the region: small communities near the mine site or larger more centralized communities with adequate services. Not wanting to replicate some of the problems associated with small mining towns at the time in Northern Ontario, the government pushed for the second option and modelled Uranium City after the community of Arvida, Quebec. [4]

The population of Uranium City started to grow significantly only once Eldorado Resources made a deliberate initiative in 1960 to see staff housed in Uranium City instead of the Eldorado campsite.[4]

Uranium City was a thriving community until 1982, with its population approaching the 5,000 threshold required to achieve city status in the province. The closure of the mines on 30 June 1982 led to economic collapse, with most residents of the community leaving. It was later designated as a northern settlement with about 300 people remaining. The local hospital closed in the spring of 2003. The current population is 73,[2] including a number of Métis and First Nations people.[5]

The community has a certified airport, Uranium City Airport, that features a treated gravel runway of 3,935 ft (1,199 m) operated by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure. The airport is one of the few employers left in the community. West Wind Aviation previously served Uranium City with flights to Prince Albert and Saskatoon three times a week. Norcanair served the community with scheduled flights until it ceased operations in 2005.[6] Transwest Air also provided a route with Saskatoon and Regina until that company cancelled its service in November 2008.[7][8] It now serves Uranium City with a flight from Saskatoon that stops in Prince Albert, Points North and Stony Rapids.[9] There is also a small water aerodrome located next to Uranium City.

There is no normal road access connecting Uranium City with the rest of Canada. There is provision for a winter road which connects with Fond-du-Lac.[10] Saskatchewan Highway 962 provides travel for a short distance within the local area. A significant bridge replacement project on Highway 962 was conducted in 2001 at the Fredette River.[11]

Uranium City in 1953

Local telephone service is provided by SaskTel and was first available in Uranium City on November 30, 1955.[12] Current telephone numbers for international calling are of the form +1 306 498 xxxx (NPA-NXX: 306–498, CLLI: URCYSK05DS0).[13]

Canada Post continues to deliver mail to the community. The post office is located at the municipal office (Postal Code: S0J 2W0).[14]

Radio broadcasting in the community is provided by:

• 97.9 FM – VF2142 – rebroadcasts CKRW-FM[15]
• 99.9 or 101.1 FM – Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation[16]
• 103.1 FM – VF2240 – rebroadcasts CFMI-FM[15]
• 105.1 FM – CBDH-FM, CBC Radio One, rebroadcasting CBKA-FM La Ronge.[17]

Until 2012, television service was provided by CBKAT operating on channel 8 at a power of 15 watts. This was a rebroadcaster of CBC Television service from CBKST Saskatoon. Until 2003, the local transmitter's television programming originated from CBC North.[18] This repeater was one of 620 analog television signals nationwide shut down by the CBC on July 31, 2012 due to budget cuts.

Uranium City is part of the Taiga Shield Ecozone and experiences a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) with long, cold, snowy winters, brief transitional periods, and short, cool, and humid summers. The temperature range is typically large due to frigidly cold winter temperatures that often plunge below −30 °C (−22 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in the settlement was 34.7 °C (94.5 °F) on 27 July 1984.[19] Wind chill factors are prominent as well in the winter months, making the cold temperatures seem to be much colder than they actually are. Uranium City has recorded one of the coldest wind chill factors of any Canadian location, with −74 wind chill reading being recorded on 28 January 2002. Additionally, an average of 34 days a year record wind chill readings below −40.[20] The lowest temperature ever recorded in the settlement was −48.9 °C (−56.0 °F) on 15 January 1974.[19]

Education in Uranium City is under the authority of the Northern Lights School Division #113, a school district that covers most of northern Saskatchewan. The only remaining school in Uranium City is Ben McIntyre School, serving classes from kindergarten to Grade 9. The school opened in 1977 and is named after the first teacher in Uranium City who established the first school in the community in 1952 with 40 students in ten grades. As of September 2005, 10 students were enrolled.[21]

Secondary education was provided by CANDU High School, named after a nuclear reactor. According to travelers Vincent Chan and Tricia Holopina who visited the city in 2002, locals state that the school was opened in 1980 and closed in 1983 after only three years of service, with the building since sustaining extensive vandalism.[22][23]

The following people are associated with Uranium City by birth, residence or career:

• Bert Burry, pilot and ice hockey player
• Gina Kingsbury, member of gold medal winning Canadian women's ice hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics
• Gilbert LaBine, a founder of the Gunnar Mine

• List of communities in Northern Saskatchewan
• List of communities in Saskatchewan
• List of uranium projects
• Athabasca System Hydroelectric Stations
• Jeffrey City, Wyoming