A ceremony has been scheduled to celebrate the opening of an interpretive center that showcases the role of Grand Junction in uranium and atomic weapons production during World War II and the Cold War era.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for 4:30 p.m. June 6 at the Atomic Legacy Cabin located at 2597 Legacy Way.

The log cabin once served as the office for a covert mission led by Philip C. Leahy, a second lieutenant of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Manhattan Engineer District, to research and refine uranium during World War II. The cabin was located on  55 acres of property along the Gunnison River near the Orchard Mesa Cemetery south of Grand Junction the government purchased in 1943

Following the end of the war, the cabin served as the principal U.S. Atomic Energy Commission office during the 1950s uranium boom and later served as headquarters for cleanup and reuse efforts by the Department of Energy to address environmental issues in the area. In 2016, the DOE Office in Grand Junction Office was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Atomic Legacy Cabin houses a free, public interpretive center that focuses on the history of uranium production on the Colorado Plateau and tells the story of Grand Junction’s contribution to the Manhattan Project during World War II and the Cold War era that followed.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will offer an opportunity for Legacy Management leaders, Leahy’s family and the community to celebrate.

The DOE Office of Legacy Management monitors and maintains 94 sites across the country that once played roles in America’s nuclear history.