The article depicts a desolate area in New Mexico along Highway 605, once a vibrant community now marked by remnants of a mass exodus. John Boomer and Maggie Billiman reflect on their former home, which housed a rich tapestry of personal memories now overshadowed by environmental hazards from uranium mining. The couple grapples with the legacy of contamination from the nearby uranium mill, which continues to threaten their ability to cultivate the land they once cherished. Amid the decay, they explore the remnants of their life together and consider the safety of future planting endeavors.
"As she stands in one corner of what was once a 7,200-square-foot warehouse-turned-home, Billiman describes how she and John would pray to the east as the sun came up behind Mount Taylor, one of four sacred mountains to the Navajo."
"Do you think it's safe to plant? Billiman asks Boomer, referring to the legacy of groundwater contamination caused by a colossal pile of uranium mill waste that still looms in the distance, which is the reason why the couple recently left."
"This home site was once part of a cluster of five rural subdivisions interspersed with rich farm and ranchland. The Homestake Mining Company - famously known for gold mining in the Black Hills of South Dakota - took up residence here in 1958, to mill uranium."
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