A long time ago in a town not so far away lies one of Colorado’s most toxic places, not because of run-off from mines or regular human waste, but rather from a 40-kiloton nuclear bomb that was tested by the United States Atomic Energy Commission. Today, the town of Parachute, Colorado is dubbed the “Western Gateway to the Rockies,” but this seemingly innocent town holds a toxic secret that many Coloradans have yet to hear:

Before Parachute was - well, Parachute - it was known as Rulison: a tiny Garfield County town that housed a few hundred residents whose seemingly normal lives changed nearly overnight. 
Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia Commons
On September 10, 1969, residents of Rulison were asked by government officials to leave their homes, as the United States Atomic Energy Commission planned to detonate a nuclear bomb (estimated to be 2 times as powerful as the one dropped on Hiroshima) in an experiment to see if natural gas could be freed by the fumes from nuclear bombs. 
United States Atomic Energy Commission / Nevada Operations Office/Wikimedia Commons
Dubbed "Project Rulison," the test was just one of many, though most others took place in rural and uninhabited areas where no one was disturbed by the intense underground explosion. 
Google/shelley shankle

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On the day of Project Rulison, a 40-kiloton nuclear bomb descended some 8,400-feet into the earth, and when it detonated, it caused not only the ground to tremble but rocks to crash off cliffs and cars to shake. 
Google/Stephen Murray
In the end, the experiment proved to be somewhat of a success, as large amounts of natural gas were released from the earth, though, later, determined to be unusable. 
Bronco925/Wikimedia Commons
Aside from a few signs, when you visit the site of Project Rulison today, you won't find much evidence of this historical experiment. Despite this, the grounds are still monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency, who still tests the water sources to make sure none of the toxins have seeped from the site into the local water supply. 
Google/Stephen Murray

For other surprising times in Colorado history that you may have never heard of, check out This Fatal Disaster Will Go Down In History As Colorado’s Own Chernobyl. Do you have an interesting piece of Colorado trivia from the past that we might appreciate? Leave it in the comments! We’d love to hear your stories.

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