Time to dust off my collection of LIFE Magazines and dive into the Uranium Fever that swept across America in the 1950s. The atom was everything and everywhere! Uranium prospecting was such a craze that even TV shows poked fun at it—like I Love Lucy in the episode Lucy Hunts Uranium, which aired on January 3, 1958. And as you read through this article, I suggest you tune into Elton Britt’s catchy track ‘Uranium Fever’ to set the mood.
The initial outlay for the uranium prospector can vary widely. The ultimate in equipment (image above) begins with a four-wheel drive jeep ($1,685). Other gear on the ground from left foreground includes an Army surplus knapsack ($3), ore sample sacks (25c each), green-topped scintillation counter ($647), an assay kit ($12.50), a black Geiger counter ($350), wooden carrying case for Geiger counter and spare batteries ($25). Clustered around AEC geologic section drawing in right foreground are map portfolio ($10), ore pick ($4), portable drawing board ($7.50), 100-foot tape for measuring claims ($12.50), Brunton compass and case ($47), official AEC and AECB of Canada prospecting handbooks ($1.40 for all three) and claim notices (25c for pad of 100). At left rear is a probe and reel assembly ($655) for detecting radioactivity in drill-holes. Camping gear, from shovel against jeep fender to coffee pot at right rear, costs about $68.
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