This native New Mexican, a Navajo, made the initial discovery of uranium in the San Juan Basin, the most important uranium-producing area in the United States. The region yielded in excess of $25 billion in uranium and contained 60 percent of the known uranium resources in the nation.​

Paddy's find in the summer of 1950 was on a reddish mesa called Haystack Mountain, near Grants, New Mexico. At the time, the population of Grants was around 2,200; it soared to well over 50,000 in Cibola County within a few short months.​

The boomtown atmosphere lasted for almost 30 years, spurred by the world race to develop atomic energy and the United States government’s need to develop new sources of uranium.​

As a result of Paddy’s discovery, he became the subject of feature articles in numerous publications and magazines, including Time, Life, True West, and Reader’s Digest. Described as “one of a kind,” he was fluent in the Navajo, Laguna, Spanish, and English languages. He was a medicine man and a leader in his community and state.​

In an era when research is proving many peaceful uses of the atom, Patricio (Paddy) Martinez is respected and remembered for his contribution to mining and to mankind.​

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