Rocky Flats Opened

The Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Factory opened eight miles south of Boulder. Initially seen as a boon to the local economy, the site clandestinely manufactured highly radioactive plutonium pits, causing significant environmental contamination and sometimes fatal health impacts to workers. Several large protests were staged in the 1970s and 80s and it was finally closed in 1992. Access to the grounds are regularly litigated given the continuing health hazards.