Split comic panel of the Orphan Mine: an active 1960 uranium headframe beside tourists, and today a locked fence with an Area Closed sign.

The Orphan Mine: Copper Bust, Uranium Boom, Radioactive Fence

An 1893 copper claim on the South Rim became one of the richest uranium mines in the country, then a cleanup the Park Service is still fencing, monitoring, and gluing down today.

September 23, 2026 · 10 min · 1918 words · Justin