From the time settlers arrived in the 1880s until the 1960s, two of the main
economic activities in the region were farming and cattle raising. Retail sales
have been important to the economy for decades (e.g., gasoline, and hunting and
fishing related sales), and uranium mining-related activities have also been
significant. Grand Junction was home to the Climax Uranium Mill, a now
decommissioned mill that provided uranium ore to the US Atomic Energy
Commission. Education and healthcare have been important to the economy of the
area, especially since the 1950s, with Colorado Mesa University and St. Mary's
Hospital
