Author: Tim Beckett

2026 Uranium City Reunion Held July 24, 25, 26 at Jackfish Lodge, SK

Posted on by Tim Beckett

From Reunion Committee memeber Beverly Ann Bazowski:

It has been 44 years since Eldorado Nuclear announced the closure of their mining operations in Uranium City, SK. The past residents have gathered every few years to remember the people and the way of life they had lived in northern Saskatchewan. This year the Uranium City Reunion is being held at Jackfish Lodge, just north of North Battleford, SK on July 24, 25 and 26. To register please email Dawn Thompson at dawnthompson@sasktel.net.

Covered By Global Saskatchewan here:

https://globalnews.ca/video/11972443/uranium-city-community-reconnecting-over-the-last-40-years

The Little Pink Cabin by Uranium City’s own Gina Gaida

Posted on by Tim Beckett

Uranium City’s own Gina Gaida publishes her first book: The Little Pink Cabin. I went to school with Gina at Candu High in those long ago days when the mine was still going. She says the book is inspired by some of her experiences as a girl in Uranium City and surrounding country.

From the blurb on Amazon:
“Tucked away among towering evergreens, hidden along the peaceful shore, The Little Pink Cabin is a place where nature awakens in harmony. From the call of the loon at sunrise to the whispering wings of a hummingbird, every moment in this enchanted retreat is filled with magic. Follow the playful creatures of the forest as they dance through the day, from the gentle rustling of leaves to the starlit lullabies of the night.

Inspired by her childhood in northern Saskatchewan, Gina beautifully captures the tranquility and interconnectedness of the natural world in this lyrical and heartwarming tale. A poetic celebration of nature’s rhythm, The Little Pink Cabin invites young readers to slow down, listen, and cherish the beauty that surrounds them.

Perfect for bedtime reading, this enchanting book is a love letter to the outdoors—where every sunrise brings a new adventure and every moonrise whispers a lullaby.”

Uranium exploration company signs agreement to ensure sustainable future for Athabasca Basin

Posted on by Tim Beckett

From La Ronge Now:

A company in the business of discovering uranium in northern Saskatchewan has signed an exploration agreement with a non-profit organization that protects the lands and waters of the Athabasca Basin and Treaty rights of the residents there.

Ya’thi Néné Lands and Resources (YNLR) represents the Athabasca Denesułiné First Nations of Hatchet Lake, Black Lake, Fond du Lac and the Northern Hamlet of Stony Rapids, and the communities of Uranium City, Wollaston Lake and Camsell Portage. Linda McNabb, the human resources advisor for YNLR said the agreement with CanAlaska presents the communities with the potential of long-lasting benefits and economic development and capacity building opportunities.

“Historically, Indigenous people have not been involved in any exploration work that has taken place in Nuhenéné – which is the name of the Athabasca Denesułiné territory. So, this is just about us sitting at the table and being involved in and reaping some of the benefits of the work that is happening on our land,” said McNabb.

CanAlaska holds interest in approximately 350,000 hectares in the Athabasca Basin which they referred to in a press release as the ‘Saudi Arabia of Uranium.’ The company is currently working with Cameco and Denison at two properties in the eastern Athabasca Basin.

Uranium exploration company signs agreement to ensure sustainable future for Athabasca Basin

‘Ride The Cyclone’ continues

Posted on by Tim Beckett

Play based on students from a fictional Uranium City continues touring

I became aware of a play called ‘Ride The Cyclone’, based around a ‘St. Cassian High School chamber choir’ from Uranium City who perish on a roller coaster named ‘The Cyclone’. We certainly had above average educational facilities in Uranium City (especially for a remote mining town) in my day, but certainly no chamber choir. Or a school named ‘St. Cassian’. From a review in The Patch, in Fairfield, Connecticut:

This piece is the second installment in Richmond’s “Uranium Teen Scream Trilogy,” a collection of three theatrical works, one not yet written, that take place in the exaggerated Uranium City. The premise of the musical is that five members of the St. Cassian High School chamber choir of Uranium City, Saskatchewan, have all perished on a faulty roller coaster called The Cyclone. The students are now being placed into a game of life and death and must tell a story to win the reward from a mechanical fortune teller: the chance to return to life.

Read the full piece here:

https://patch.com/connecticut/fairfield/theater-review-ride-cyclone-sacred-heart-university

Goldfields Hockey League

Posted on by Tim Beckett

Jeffrey Street was kind enough to send these on to me last year and finally publishing them now. Not the headline ‘Near Arctic Circle’. Guess it’s all relative I guess, given Yellowknife barely existed at the time and transportation links were minimal.

For the full articles:

“Graduates Play Hockey Near Arctic Circle,” The Queen’s Review, January 1938, Vol 12, p10, Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/queensreview12. 

“Sports Shorts,” The Queen’s Review, January 1938, Vol 12, p143, Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/queensreview12. 

New Book: Somewhere Safe – Uranium City

Posted on by Tim Beckett
book cover of "Somewhere Safe: Uranium City - the Lure and the Lore"

Author CC Phillips has a new book out, based on his time living in Uranium City from 1986 to 1994. Interestingly, his book stops just before my first trip back in 1996. From the website:

Uranium City, the lure and the lore …

Though the path has led a circuitous route, the town that would not die still tethers my heartstrings. Thousands of former residents feel the same. Forced out by circumstances beyond their control, few left because they wanted to. How many would move back if they could? How many – as I have done on countless occasions – awakened from the recurring dream that the contemptible wrongs have been righted?

Evolving from my keyboard, dictated by Destiny, this narrative holds the promise of fulfillment for all those lost prayers, hopes and dreams …

Note: I will be publishing an excerpt in the next week or two.

Purchase On Amazon Canada | Purchase on Amazon.com

Manpower Adjustment Report, circa 1982

Posted on by Tim Beckett

What a title. Again, courtesy of Brian Howell. Incredible amount of information on both – this report is 109 pages long and contains abbreviated histories of the Eldorado Company, Beaverlodge, and Uranium City as well as breakdowns of everything from the costs to ‘Reaction To Closure’ to compensation to the minutes of the Manpower Committee. An important historical document nonetheless.

MANPOWER-ADJUSTMENT-REPORT-NOV.-1982Download

Eldorado Miner’s Study

Posted on by Tim Beckett

Courtesy of Brian Howell.

The full title:

Microsoft Word – RSP-0205 final report-a.doc

UPDATED ANALYSIS OF THE ELDORADO URANIUM MINERS’ COHORT:

PART I OF THE SASKATCHEWAN URANIUM MINERS’ COHORT STUDY published 2006

From the introduction:

“This report presents the results of the statistical analysis of a cohort of 17,660 individuals known to have worked for Eldorado somewhere between 1930 and 1999. Based on a total of 5,332 deaths between 1950 and 1999, and 2,355 individuals who developed at least one cancer between 1969 and 1999, several types of analyses have been conducted.”

eldorado-miners-study-1Download