Once a bustling town with more than 4,500 residents and its own newspaper, Jeffrey City in Wyoming is a shadow of its former self with forlorn buildings left to rust and sprigs of grass breaking up tarmacked surfaces – but 24 residents refuse to let it go to ground completely.
The rural enclave started out as a single homestead but after uranium was discovered in the area, a mine opened in 1957 and a drove of workers from across the US descended.
According to WyoHistory.org, mine owner and prospector Bob Adams helped to establish Jeffrey City at the height of the nuclear arms race, with his company, Western Nuclear, snapping up the land and installing ’26 houses, 145 trailers, a dormitory, a restaurant and bar, bathhouses… a combination firehouse and dispensary,’ and a multi-purpose community hall.
The town quickly evolved and by 1980 there were more than 4,500 residents, with about 1,000 employed by the local mine – Split Rock Mill – and 600 students enrolled at the school.
Once a bustling town with more than 4,500 residents and its own newspaper, Jeffrey City in Wyoming is a shadow of its former self with forlorn buildings left to rust and sprigs of grass breaking up tarmacked surfaces
The remote rural enclave started out as a single homestead but after uranium was discovered in the area, a mine opened in 1957 and a drove of workers from across the US descended
According to WyoHistory.org, mine owner and prospector Bob Adams helped to establish Jeffrey City at the height of the nuclear arms race, with his company, Western Nuclear, snapping up the land
The town quickly evolved and by 1980 there were more than 4,500 residents, with about 1,000 employed by the local mine – Split Rock Mill – and 600 students enrolled at the school
Archived footage shows Jeffrey City when it was a thriving community, with trailers lining one of the roads
A group of children seen playing in a snowy field on the outskirts of Jeffrey City back when the population was thriving. Now there are just two children at the school
According to Wyoming Public Media, there are 321 abandoned uranium mine sites in Wyoming, ‘ranging from minor to major projects’
While Wyoming’s uranium was originally used for nuclear weapons, once the government’s stockpile peaked, the radioactive chemical was used for nuclear energy instead.
The price of uranium increased more than fivefold in the late 1970s to more than $50 per pound and Jeffrey City continued to enjoy the boom.
Speaking out in a 2007 documentary for Wyoming PBS, a number of Jeffrey City residents remembered its heyday with fond memories. However, one woman revealed that the extreme weather was hard to deal with.
She recalled: ‘The winters were harsh. Sometimes the streets were totally snowed over and you’d have to park like three blocks away and walk to your house because the snowdrifts were 10ft tall.’
Another female interviewee mused: ‘[We had] several really severe winters in the 70s. That was pretty really depressing to all of us. I think we all wound up with cabin fever before spring because we couldn’t get in to get our grocery shopping done and it was really hard.’
Despite the freezing winters, the Jeffrey City residents remembered a tight-knit community with a plethora of freshly built facilities on their doorstep.
However, after all the hype that came with the town’s rapid expansion, came a shattering decline.
WyoHistory.org details how a ‘partial meltdown’ at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania in March 1979 ‘dealt a blow to the uranium industry from which it has yet to fully recover’ and ‘prices plummeted.’
With nuclear power ‘suddenly perceived as dangerous,’ the Split Rock Mill was placed on standby before being decommissioned in 1988.
Following the closure of the mill and other mines in the area, Jeffrey City was left ‘mostly vacant’ and other residents fled over fears of radiation exposure.
Detailing what the mass exodus was like, one resident told Wyoming PBS: ‘It was very depressing to see your friends move and churches close and businesses close and your kids’ friends move away… it was really tough.
‘There was my daughter and one little girl left in a class and she moved.’
Today, photos show the remnants of what’s left, with a rusting gas station, an abandoned liquor store and apartment blocks with the windows boarded straddling the main road.
According to the 2021 census, there are just 24 residents left in Jeffrey City and the National Center for Education Statistics reveals that two children are currently enrolled at the elementary school.
While Wyoming’s uranium was originally used for nuclear weapons, once the government’s stockpile peaked, the radioactive chemical was used for nuclear energy instead
WyoHistory.org details how a ‘partial meltdown’ at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania in March 1979 ‘dealt a blow to the uranium industry from which it has yet to fully recover’ and ‘prices plummeted’
With nuclear power suddenly ‘perceived as dangerous,’ the Split Rock Mill was placed on standby before being decommissioned in 1988. Following the mine’s closure Jeffrey City was left ‘mostly vacant’
According to the 2021 census, there are just 24 residents left in Jeffrey City. Pictured, post office boxes for the few remaining residents
While miners left the town to seek new jobs, other residents fled over fears of radiation exposure
One of the liveliest spots in town is the Split Rock Bar & Cafe, which has been serving customers since 1960
The business’ Facebook page describes it as a ‘rustic place’ with ‘deer and elk heads mounted on the walls’
A sign on the outskirts of Jeffrey City details the town’s history with the headline stating that it witnessed the ‘biggest bust of them all’
According to Wyoming Public Media, there are 321 abandoned uranium mine sites in the state, ‘ranging from minor to major projects’
One woman living there in 2007 told PBS that it was ‘hard now ’cause there’s no center for the community anymore.’
One of the liveliest spots in town is the Split Rock Bar & Cafe, which has been serving customers since 1960.
The business’ Facebook page describes it as a ‘rustic place’ with ‘deer and elk heads mounted on the walls.’
Photos uploaded to Yelp by visitors reveal the bar’s interiors, with planked walls, a tiled floor and a pool table tucked away in one corner.
Isebel Hiatt, who owns the bar with husband Dusty, explains that all the food is ‘handmade or homemade.’
She says the ‘pork chops and chicken fried steaks’ are the top-selling dinner items while the Split Rock burger (two patties with Swiss cheese) and the Rattlesnake burger (comprising Texas toast, pepper jack cheese and jalapenos) are the most popular lunch items.
‘Plus, we will cook breakfast anytime of the day,’ she adds.
The establishment has a 4.2 rating on Yelp with 13 reviews.
One patron wrote after a visit in June 2018: ‘Way out there in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming you find this little place, the only place for miles to eat. Unique in almost every way. I think the guy that waited on us was a little drunk, but he was hilarious just the same. For an example, there was a bicyclist there ordering water and the waiter asked, “Do you want ice in that?”‘
‘The biker said yes, and the guy shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well, some people do and some people don’t.” When I ordered a cheeseburger for my wife and I with fries, he said, “Oh, boy that might take a little while.”
‘That statement was true, but when the food did come out it was delicious! So, if you are in a hurry, don’t stop here, but if you want to sit back and relax, watch and listen to some interesting characters and eat some good food, it is well worth the wait.’
In terms of accommodation offerings, there is a small motel with reviewers rating the friendly owners and clean interiors.
For travelers approaching Jeffrey City, a roadside sign details the town’s history with the headline stating that the former mining community witnessed the ‘biggest bust of them all.’
After detailing the area’s rise and fall it says that although the place is ‘quiet once again,’ the ‘vacant streets still whisper of the thousands who once lived and played here.’
According to Wyoming Public Media, there are 321 abandoned uranium mine sites in Wyoming, ‘ranging from minor to major projects.’