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Fostering Community and Connection in Moab, Utah

Moab History: Bird’s-eye view of a changing Moab

Moab Museum Staff2 mins

While photographs of people, storefronts, and downtown Moab offer a valuable view into the past, aerial images over the decades also help chronicle the large-scale changes Moab has experienced over the past century. 

Numerous images in the Moab Museum’s collection offer a bird’s-eye view of the community over time. Some are taken from airplanes, others from cliffs surrounding town. Viewed together, these images show the changes in Moab over the decades as the community shifted from an agricultural economy to a mining boomtown and eventually to an outdoor recreation and tourism destination.

In this view out of an airplane in the 1960s, changes undergone during the uranium boom are evident. Subdivisions and larger municipal buildings are visible, though orchards of fruit trees and other agricultural plots remain too. [Moab Museum Collection]
This view of Moab from the 1970s, looking across the Moab Valley toward the Portal, shows some of Moab’s residential neighborhoods. Many of the town’s subdivisions were constructed to house the influx of mining workers that came to town during the uranium mining boom. [Moab Museum Collection]

The Moab Museum is dedicated to sharing stories of the natural and human history of the Moab area. To explore more of Moab’s stories and artifacts, find out about upcoming programs, and become a Member, visit www.moabmuseum.org.

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