John LaBret points to a "hot" spot while his twin brother James tests for radioactivity with a Geiger Counter at the future Midnite Mine on the Spokane Indian Reservation in a 1954 photo. (The Spokesman-Review photo archive / SR)
With a bulldozer, James LeBret scrapes overburden from a hillside at the Midnight Mines, Inc., property on the Spokane Indian reservation in 1955. His brother, John, stands on road below. Waste material must be removed so that miners can get to ore. The brothers shown here discovered the mine near Lookout mountain. (The Spokesman-Review photo archive / SR)
This is the remodeled bus where the miners lived in 1955. John LeBret stands at the door. (The Spokesman-Review photo archive / SR)
Uranium mining operations are in full swing at Dawn Mining company's Midnite mine in the Spokane Indian reservation. Here a truck dumps ore in a giant, 1000-ton ore bunker in 1957. (The Spokesman-Review photo archive / SR)
Tibor Klobusicky, Pres. Midnite Mines in 1976. (The Spokesman-Review photo archive / SR)
This pit at the Midnite Mine is full of acidic, radioactive water in 1993. (The Spokesman-Review photo archive / SR)
Located about 45 miles northwest of Spokane, the Midnite Mine opened in the 1950s to produce uranium during the U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms race. It closed in 1981 after a drop in uranium prices.
The mine and its mill in Ford, Washington, brought hundreds of good-paying jobs to the reservation. But many tribal members believe uranium mining and processing of the ore is responsible for elevated cancer rates on the reservation.
Exposure to radium over long periods is associated with a higher cancer risk, particularly for bone cancer, and lead-210 exposure is associated with increased risk for lung cancer, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.