In July 1957 two Utah Construction geologists heard rumors of a staking rush taking place in Shirley Basin, near Medicine Bow, and they literally flew into action. Aerial reconnaissance revealed two dozen cars and pickup trucks, a small exploration pit, and two drill rigs in operation. Executives in San Francisco decided to take a risk, and so in great secrecy workers loaded all the available claim posts into all the available vehicles and drove in convoy to the top of Shirley Rim, about 80 miles from the Lucky Mc mines. Geologist Charles Spielman contacted project manager Jack Bailey by radiotelephone and, in code, reported the results of experimental drilling. Confidentiality foundered when Bailey erupted with an expletive, followed by, "Charlie, did you say we have a foot-and-a-half of 65 hundredths?" (a phenomenal proportion). The company quickly filed hundreds of claims. General Manager Allen D. Christensen (seated at far left) negotiated the first of many contracts with the Atomic Energy Commission. The AEC not only agreed to purchase the uranium oxide Lucky Mc produced, but also to underwrite production costs, including overhead. Already Utah Construction was involved in building a $38 million nuclear facility for the AEC near St. Louis, Missouri.