50 Years Ago: Project Rulison

It’s been over 50 years since Project Rulison was carried out — back in September of 1969, the Atomic Energy Commission conducted a “safe” nuclear detonation deep underground in an attempt to see if it was possible to bring pockets of natural gas to the surface. 

A ‘Safe’ Nuclear Detonation

There were plans to detonate many more nuclear bombs underground before Project Rulison proved unfruitful. If it had been successful, there would have been 100-200 more underground explosions between Rifle and Parachute (a mere 20 mile stretch of land). 

The detonation took place amid protests and demonstrations — a nuclear bomb exploded underneath the rural town of Rulison, Colo. with residents and protestors directly above. 

With helicopters circling and officials yelling at protestors to leave the site, shockwaves from the blast sent people 6-8 inches in the air.

Image: Los Alamos National Laboratory

The fact that the government was allowed to detonate a nuclear bomb anywhere they pleased without voter approval led to legislation requiring approval in the future. Historically, Colorado has been a very pro-natural-gas economy, and residents of the county that was slated to be subterraneanly nuked gave the Okay. But 58% of people in Colorado at-large voted against the detonations, with most of the votes coming from the Denver metro area. 

Thirteen months after the test, a report stated that there were only “low levels” of radioactivity present in the area. But ultimately, none of the natural gas that was released as a result of the detonation could be collected or used because of radioactivity. 

There’s no problem a nuclear bomb can’t solve, evidently, as nuclear detonations have been suggested as a remedy for everything from the BP oil spill to Hurricane Dorian. But, a new generation of nuclear technology promises to be cleaner and safer than ever before. 

The Tripping Falls Connection

There isn’t a ton written about Project Rulison. Some will say that’s because it didn’t release harmful levels of radiation into the water or atmosphere and wasn’t that big of a deal. Others will say it’s because of a government cover-up. And there’s even less written about the three bigger bombs that were detonated underground in Rio Blanco County, which is just a little bit southwest of Tripping Falls. 

Were residents of Rulison and Rio Blanco county paid hush money by Big Gas, to sell their homes to the government and move away? Here’s what we know for a fact: 

The years during which the nuclear detonations took place, 1969-1972, Tripping Falls and the surrounding area experienced an uptick in people moving in from Rio Blanco County. While these slightly mutated refugees were welcomed with open arms and ultimately contributed to Tripping Falls’ late ’70s boom, many questions were left unanswered. 

Visit Tripping Falls and say hello to some of the town’s residents and see for yourself. But don’t stare, that’s rude.