New Mexico Museum of Mining

Nowhere in the world are the raw and often dangerous conditions of the hole in the ground re-created and domed with a graceful white stone and glass museum as they are in Grants, New Mexico, in the “only Uranium Mining Museum in the World.”

As visitors wind through “Section 26,” posted informational panels detail the work and the equipment inside this underground world. The self-guided tour is a unique opportunity to see, touch, feel and absorb the atmosphere of the underground world, where thousands of men and women have worked to start the flow of power and wealth to the surface.

The self-guided tour allows you to view the mine at your own pace. Descend the “cage” to the mine shaft. In a real mine, the descent could plunge down 900 feet or more, but our “Section 26” is just a short ride down, ending at the station where workers, materials and mine ore leave and enter the mine. Learn about the “lunchroom,” drilling and blasting techniques and the forbidden “open stope.”

Ancient Artifacts – Gems & Minerals from All Over the World

See a wonderful display of Gems and Minerals from all over the world! A treat is in store for the visitor with an excellent collection of artifacts dating as far back as 700 A.D. The early ancient culture is represented in pottery, baskets, weaving and other items used by these early settlers in New Mexico.

In the spacious, galleried first floor of the museum, visitors can walk through the colorful history of the Grants/Cibola area, beginning with railroad, logging, ranching and uranium mining. It was uranium that brought the boom and bust cycle, and the now almost non-existent demand for U.S.-mined uranium has ended what many call the final bust.