https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/84bfba9c8d3fa6cb276ce153d97a7242.pdf 26a10e0be5474255a7127f4796d4a199 PDF Text Text PART VI BUTAH �UTAH ARSA 1 f c>. ^SPRING CANYON, UTAhT JessJ^ Knight needed coal to operate the smelter he had Just built in the Tintic mining district of Central Utah. The coal in Spring Canyon, west of the town of Helper, looked promising, Knight bought up 1600 acres alonsr the canyon and proceeded to build a town near the most accessible portion of the underground seam of coal, constructed sixty substantial sandstone homes along freshly traded streets. Next of frame company buildings, and finally of coal. he built a number he tapped the vein It can't be said that Knight lacked confidence. His jud^^ent wasn’t bad either, for more than eleven million tons of coal were eventually to be drawn from the mines above town. Knight owned the mine, the town, and the buildings. He named the town "Storf s*’, after the man hired to supervise the operation. He would have named the town '^^ghtsville’v, except that a community near his smelter already bore that name, Before anyone moved into town, Knight laid down the rules. No gambling houses, no saloons, no redrlight district, and no mercy for those who ehose to be in violation. In spite of, or perhaps because ofxthe rules, the town quickly grew to �a population of over 1,000, and production one hundred tons a day A largeyy^stone schoolhouse was constructed by the company, Knight's organizational efforts left little opporj* tunlty for meaningful accomplishment on the part of the town folk. Town pride could manifest itself only in tW support of the higljschool athletic program and the local baseball team. The towns of Storrs, Helper, Standardville, Latuda, Rains, and Mutual were within a dozen miles of each other, and each had competing teaiaj^ Rivalry was intense. In 1920 the Rio Grande built its tracks up the canyon, parallel to Knight's private line, and coal production doubled. the mine Later, in 1924, when Knight no longer needed the coal, town, and associated structures above and below ground were sold to the Spring Canyon Coal Company. The name of the town then became “Spring Canyon.*^ The new owners boosted production to ^00 tons of coal per day. During World War II production reached an all: time high of 2,000 tons per day. Population of the town, however, did not grow proportionately. Many citizens chose to live in nearby Helper. During the post war years ^1 production slacked, and -- only small crews worked the the population dwindled. By 1959 mine, and ten years later that minimal effort was terminated. The three families left in town moved out one by one. the town was empty. By 1972. �Plat spots are at a premium*in the canyon. The town of Spring Canyon occupies the only sl^ble The school, bank.and hotel fill the narrow J south end, while the company offices and store, along with available. the hospital, are squeezed into the equally narrow north end. The comparatively wide center section of town is filled with perhaps a dozen rows of residences, many of whleh arc- still intact. Just north of town^half a mile or so, is a suburb consisting of small boarding homes and a smattering of unique dugouts. Recesses in the sandstone canyon wall were deepened, and short walls^xtended outward to form hybrid structures with truncated roofs, As I poked about the deserted town 1 became aware of other visitors. A young man, his wife, and two children were sightseeing. The father frequently stopped to point out buildings that seemed to be particularly meaningful to him. I approached him in hope of obtaining information concerning some buildings that I had found to-bo a bit puzzling. Lewis Korenko, like most former residents of towns that have become deserted, greatly missed the opportunity to visit with old hometown friends. I was a poor second choice, but Lewis Korenko had so much conversation stored up that he couldn’t hold back. Lewis, now a carpenter residing in Salt Lake City, moved with his folks to Spring Canyon in 1957, when the town �was In its dying throes. His dad was a member of one of the The crews were small, only four last crews to work the mine. men working underground at a time. Maintenance work required as much effort as the actual mining of coal. Lewis'sjfather switched duty with a friend one day. That day an explosion ripped through the mine. The four men "Dad said it was the only time he underground were killed. M traded shifts," reported Lewis^—^ "and he claimed he would never do it again ~ felt real bad about it," We wandered over toward the east edge of town, "Used to be an overhead tram years ago ~ then they changed to the track and cable carsj" Lewis explained. "Whole thing was gravity powered ~ loaded cars ran downhill all by them?' selves." Lewis pointed to a small^flat spot high up and across the big canyon, "Had a tennis court up there." Before I could ask about chasing lost balls, Lewis proceeded to brief me on the town's suburbs. "Just around the bend, up the big canyon, was a bunch of homes ~ called the place round the bend. Lewis pointed to »ho north. "Up Sowbelly Canyon, before you get to the mine, those long buildings were boarding houses run by Greeks, then later by the Japanese." We walked back to the main street of town and looked over the old community bath~~house. I planned to stay the night in town. eye out for the White Lady, Lewis asked if "If you do, keep an She wanders around the town �wailing and looking for her husband. at Peerless years ago, She*s been seen by quite a few people running the hills above town.* west part of town, He was killed down Lewis waved to the "A young character, kind of looney himself, laid a trap for the White Lady put a bunch of explosives in a house she was supposed to be haunting. it up too! Blew He's in prison now, and the White Lady is still walling around town ~ 2le must not of got her." Later, as the sun dropped below the canyon rim, I watched the squirrels and chipmunks scurry about. Nooks and crannies abound, and the rodents find no shortage of housing or storage apace. The inheritors of Spring Canyon lead a peaceful life. A life Inte^pted only b^j^the occasional daytime visits former residents, and the unpredictable nocturnal Jaunts of the mysterious White Lady. j MAP NOTEi The 15 minute Castle Gate, Utah, United States Geological Survey topographic map, made in 1914, shows the town of Storrs, later renamed Spring Canyon, 7 �7gTANDARDVILLB. UTAH f Mrs. Thelma Wilson, 75, of Helper, Utah, recalls much of interest concerning life in the town of Standardvllle. Her husband worked in the Standax*d Company Mines for twenty years. He worked @day weeks. Holidays were Infrequent. >76 Except for Christmas, the most memorable yearly celebration was Standard Day,'^ Men got the day off, and the company provided entertainment and food. There were presents for all the kids under According to Thelma, Standardvllle came into exist?- ance about the same time as Spring Canyon. "There were still a number of people living in tents back in 1916 — but Standard? Ville was growing fast. They had a big boardinghouse for men. a church, company store, and of course there was a post office. There were dances at the community hall, and we had a pltchur show.—^Iways called it that 01 pitchur show." Thelma rummaged "Had school up to through a box looking for old school photos. the 9^ grade for the children — sent them to Latuda for the lO^h grade." The town had no Jail or cemetery. Company towns, Thelma explained, had little crime, and anyone died was buried in Helper, Just a few miles east at the mouth of Spring Canyon, The Miners* Museum in Helper contains an assort?^ ment of old equipment, news clippings, and photographs. Many of the photographs and mj^mentos in the collection were 2-6?' �from the Standardvllle locality. Of particular note was the pay voucher on display that showed one miner’s tally for a month’s work» 4 hrs. labor @ 255^........ $ 1.00 110 cars-224,370^ coal @60i4P. 60.ll Total Money Sarned . . .* . $61.11 A Gharffesj Hospital................ $ 1.00 Coupons................ 30.11 Horses ................ 30,00 $61.11 L At first glance it appears t4wt-the miner Just broke even. Actually, he had $30.11 in company money, either script or brass coins, with which to buy food, clothlng^and lodging for the month. The charge for horses was explained by Fred Voll, caretaker of the /Museum. "Each man took a bunch of tags down the mine with him. When he got a car filled with ore, he hung his tag on the car, and it was hauled out by horses. The miner’s tag was collected topside, his account credited for the coal, and a charge entered for the use of the horse," Unexplained was the fact that 224,370 pounds was a bit more thsui 112 tons and should have brought more than >61 in monies earned. Either the bookkeeper or the twiner was poor at figures. There are no miners in Standardvllle today/ust a few men working at salvaging the remains. The extensive metal coal tipples at the site are presently being dismantled for scrap. Even the railroad rails are being out by torch �Into loadable sections. Rusted equipment stands about» a crane, some loaders, and parts of an old caterpillar ~ all destined to be melted down* On the hill northeast of town, the company office stands roofless. Its cover sacrificed In the Interest of lower taxes. Empty homes are scattered a^i^Totherwlse empty streets. It's pretty quiet In town now. Just the occa^^ slonal snap and clan^ as cutting torches eat away at the remains — a far cry from -Standard Day-^ln Standardvllle. MAP NOTE* The 15 minute Castle Gate, Utah, United States Geological Survey topographic map shows the town midway up Spring Canyon, �IXaJlATUDA, rains, and mutual, UTAH^r The coal seam thickened at the upper end of Spring Canyon. A number of tunaels tapped the seam. Substantial towns mushroomed around three of the mines. Latuda, established In 191^ as ''^Ibert^^ grew to be the largest and the longest^lived of the three. It grew from @ homes in 1918 to more than in 1922. The town had to be renamed when a post office was established. There were too many towns already named liberty.-^Latuda’^was chosen/^ in honor of the coal company responsible for the town’s g. existj^nce. The town of Rains, less than a mile up the canyon from Latuda. was established in 1915 by L. P. Hains, owner of^e Carbon Coal Company. The Rains Mine was one of the biggest producers in the canyon, reaching 2,000 tons per day at its peak. The town grew on either side of the single road along the canyon floor. As the population Increased, new houses were built up the canyon, close to the outskirts of another town springing up around the Mutual Mine. Mutual, established in 1921, never grew larger than 250 residents. Its mine, on the thickest part of the seam, had great potential, but production during its best year never the amount equalled brought out of the Hains Mine in a two; week period. When the Mutual Mine shut down in 1938, residents �of a tent town by the Little Standard Mine, half a mile away, moved into the vacant houses. The company store was bought out by one of the new citizens and continued in business until 195^» when Mutual, the uppermost town, became deserted. The towns down the Canyon closed in sequence. The Rains Mine closed down in 1958. The Latuda Coal Company continued to operate until I966. Houses from the three towns were sold off and hauled down the canyon to Helper and Price. The old company building still marks the center of Latuda. 2'7 2^ Just east, the little stone Jail stands in usable Below the jail are a number of dugout garages. condition. Up the canyon a short dlstancey<at the site of Hains, two of the eidr orle-inal^wooden coal cars stand at the side of the road. Behind are the machine shops of the Carbon Coal Company. At Mutual most of the mine complex is in place. The old store still has its sign over the side door, ^‘7^ ^rther up the canyon are numerous frame houses in various states of destruction. Cattle roam freely about, around, and occasionally through-the old homes. 7 There is little sign of the activity that once filled the canyon. 3-7 6. The coal is gone now — all thirty million tons of it. 2-7 7 �MAP MOTE* The Castlegate, Utah^l5 minute United States Geological Survey topographic map falls to show any of these towns. They are easily located, however, by driving up the main canyon from Standardville. �FRISCO, UTAhC BSSBSHHHHBmSSSSSSSw Frisco and Cisco, two of Utah*s most unusual ghost towns, are a study In contrasts, Frisco, at the western edge of the Xtate, was a mining town. Cisco, a state's width to the east, was a railroading community. Both were bom in the midc 1870^. short-lived, Frisco was wild and Cisco was mild and more durable. been a ghost for almost one hundred years. Frisco has Cisco, Utah's newest ghost town, met its demise in 1970, a victim of progress. To most observers valuable only when aged. ghost towns are like antiques^ The true aficionado might disagree. Some items are worthy of preservation from the moment of dl^^ use. A particular buggy whip with a long and faithful history is deserving of a spot on the mantpj^ the same day the horse is traded in on the Model T. Some ghost towns are worthy of veneration the day they die, Johnny Cash felt that way about Cisco even before the town had completely expired. But first, the history of Frisco, sued then Cisco ~ the contrast is enhanced if the story travels with the flow of time. Jim Ryan and Sam Hawkes, veteran prospectors, left Pioche, Nevada, in the summer of '75. They headed east, skirtj*' ing the southern slopes of the Needle Range, then headed north ^4 �Into the heart of the San Francisco Mountains. At Squaw Springs, the two prospectors decided to give their pack animals a few days’ graze on the comparatively lush grass that grew about the water hole. They prospected the area leisurely, with little success. Returning from one last look at a nearby blowout, one of the prospectors took a passing whack at a small, light-colored outcrop. cleaved to reveal a heavy streak of shiny The limestone grey silver. Ryan and Hawkes made permanent camp Immediately, then proceeded to blast a hole in pursuit of the precious metal. The vein thickened, and at twenty-five feet below the surface looked like a salable prospect. it When offered $25,000 for their mine, Ryan and Hawkes were quick to take the money, retire from mlning^and ocet back to prospecting. The new owners pushed the shaft (now called the 300 Horn Silver) to a depth of nearly trhgee/^uadred feet. held, and nearly The vein million .dallawa worth of ore was removed. Figuring tha»»the deposit was near depletion, owners of the Horn Silver let out word that the mine was for sale. Jay t Cooke, once an Influen/^lal financier, now broke and pursued by creditors, bought the mine with the scavewiged remains of his fortune. The purchase price of $5 million was met by a little cash, some loans, and a lot of promises. to go for broke, JT Cooke Intended Neither Cooke nor the sellers were aware that the Horn Silver was yet to reach its prime. It would �eventually produce more than $20 million in silver for its owners. Settlements were scattered about the area some near the mine, others strung out along the foot of the mountain. When the Utah Southern Railroad extended its tracks another 200 miles to the Hom Silver, population in the area took a sudden leap. The various communities amalgamated^and a town grew beside the tracks one mile east of the mine. The town took its name from 9,725s foot San Francisco had "bpfin Peak, Just a few miles to the north, but already that name shortened to •Frisco Peak.*^ Knowing full well that the town would be called Frisco, the citizens chose to make the short version official. In time the peak was renamed "^risco^ to match the town. By 1880 temperament. spectrum. zenith. Frisco had reached its pyate in size and Twenty-three saloons offered vice in the fullest Tenderloin ladles solicited on the main floor and utilized the rooms above on a rotating basis. Whiskey was bad^ and the gambling tables crooked. Living was expensive, but life was cheap. The lives of many miners had already been shortened by the high temperatures and bad dust in the mine. Most of them suffered from some degree of miners’ consumption. Under these conditions and fights were common. tempers flared quickly, Some claim that Frisco would have �been a slg^ble town If so many citizens hadn't killed each other. The local mortician toured the back alleys each morning, picking up bodiesy^and burying them for whatever he » could rifle from their clothing. A few upright citizens determined that the situation was out of hand. A reformed gunslinger by the name of Pearson was hired to bring respectability to Frisco. Pearson's idea of law and order was to declare open season on anyone he figured was undesirable. of town or draw. as often, lost. He offered the offenders a choice ~ get out Often the hard cases chose the latter ^men in one day. His opponents invariably Pearson was fast. died of a bad case of "slow." and^ One reporter claimed he dispatched Within six weeks the town was respectable^” if somewhat smaller. In 1885, after ten years of continuous operation, disaster struck the Horn Silver, life. Luckily there was no loss of The men coming off shift had Just left the skip and the new shift was about to go down, when a trembling was felt in the gallows frame and cable. The tremble repeated, then a low rumble was heard as 900 feUt of vertical shaft caved in. Observers claimed the cave-in caused a shock wave of such proportion that windows were broken in Milford, (1^ miles away. It would be far more logical to assume that an earth tremor was the cause of both the cave-ln and the damage in Milford. �Miners were laid off as small orews set to work drilling the 900 feet of newly filled shaft. closed down for lack of work. The smelters In turn, operators of the charcoal ovens went broke, and woodcutters found no ny^rket for their product. Frisco was wiped out overnight. Sven when the mine resumed operations, Frisco remained largely deserted. or commuted from Milford. Mining crews stayed at the mine There is little to be seen at the town site ~ a few foundations and remnants of one store. But the Horn Silver, a mile to the west, is still reasonably intact. Hoisting cables are in place, holding double- barrelled skips at surface level. hoist are of <» unique design. Gallows wheels atop the They are flattbottomed and deepcrlmmed to hold the old-fashioned flat "ribbon cable" of the type used in Bodie, California. Centered in the flat surface of the gallows wheel is a semi^ircular depression to guide the more modern round cable. the drums of the hoist. Bound cable is now on No sign of the old flat cable could be found. Down the hill a bit, just in front of a massive excavation in the rocky hillside, stand half a dozen mine buildings side and the foundations of the two smelters. To the a number of low log and rock soddies fight a losing battle with the elements. Up the ravine a freshening breeze loosens another rusted sheet oj^ corrugated metal on the old hoist house. �It Is interesting to speculate ao^e how the course of history might have changed if Ryan or Hawkes had not succumbed to the urge to give that small outcrop of limestone a passing whack. MAP NOTEJ The Frisco, Utah, 15 minute United States Geological Survey topographical map shows the town, the Horn Silver Mine, and a number of additional mines in the area. �CISCOS utahC Cisco, after nearly years of serving the travelers* needs, became a ghost when the Interestate hlgh^ way bypassed the arteries of town. One general store remained open in the vain hope that enough would remain in town The owner to raise his family to keep it in business. and live out his life in the small country town he had come to love. It soon became obvious that his hopes would not be realized^ would inevitably have to uproot his family and begin a new life. That's when Johnny Cash happened through town. was-intrigued by the unusual situation^ throughout the day and into the evening. -He remained in town One of the few residents in town at the time reported that he spent geven *7.// -- dollars and eleven cents-, more than anyone had spent in months. Johnny bought a round of beer or two as he listened to stories about Cisco. He was particularly taken by the pathos of the father who must take his family to a new town ~ whose kids could never come back to visit old friends ~ whose kids would not have a meaningful hometown, until time and new experience could provide new memories. Johnny wrote a song about Cisco. He drew on its early history for the title, "Cisco Clifton Station." It isn’t one of Johnny Cash’s better sonc:5j\but it was the most popular tune dn the Juke box at the old store in Cisco. �The finite history of Cisco began in the mid; 1880^ John Martin, surveyor for the narrow-gafee railroad, laid out the section of the line connecting Mack, Colorado, with Thompson, Utah, The area between the Book Cliffs and the Colorado River, was of particular Interest to him. to settle on land adjacent to the tracks. He chose In I8873 he applied for and was granted a post office for the settlement that grew about his original homestead, A second community was growing two miles away, centered about a restaurant and store. Victor Hanson, owner of the store, may have had some Inside information, since the new wide-track rail lines were shortly to run past his holdings. John Martin’s settlement folded, and Hanson's town, now laid out with a full set of streets, was granted its own * post office under the name of Cisco. The name given Martin’s original post office became clouded with the move. Some folks say it was Martinsdale, others Book Cliffs, or Clifton Station, Soon new stores were springing up in Cisco, between main street and the railroad trakks. Boxcarxloads of ice were hauled in to preserve produce and cool the palate. The tourist trade via railroad and horse-drawn wagon gave the town sustenance and reason for growth. Later the highway through town was surfaced, and Cisco’s future seemed assured. �Early in the present century gold and silver were found In the La Sal Mountains a few miles south. Oil was con^ sldered likely In the area near town, and numerous rigs moved In to tap the faults and domes that hopefully existed In the strata deep beneath the surface. The first barrel of crude was pumped from the Cisco Well on February 6, 1904. The Cisco Mercantile paid the owners $100, and the town celebrated. The newly finished hotel Later additional wells brought In abundant supplies of natural gas. The Cisco Gas Wells were the biggest was booked solid. producers In Utah during the late twenties. Cisco had oil and gas, but local water was scarce. The scarcity seemed little note as long as the railroad kept pumping water from the Colorado River to the standpipe in town. For sixty years the railroad and town folk shared the cost/\to their mutual benefit. When the railroad retired its steam engine^" it no longer hswi need o^ large quantities of water. The pumps were shut down, and Cisco’s water supply dried up. It took twelve days for town representatives to obtain a Judgment. The railroad was told to continue Its part of the bargain, whether needed water for diesels or not. In the late sixties, word leaked out that major highway Improvement was being considered. Highway 50 passing through town was to be made part of the new four-lane inter?^ state network. Owners of gas stations and motels made plans �to enlarge and update their establishments. arrived; Then the bad news The new highway was to take a short cut across the bend that Cisco occupied. Access to town would be a dozen miles away In either direction. Residents rushed to sell their homes and businesses before the word could spread. Potential buyers were made wary by the proliferation of "for sale" signs all about town, Cisco had contracted a terminal Illness. As work started on the Interstate It became obvious that the town had only a year or so to live. The six gas stations closed down like dominoes In a line. Stores and motels closed, until only one remained open, the one In which Johnny Cash spent tialiars and eleven That was several years ago, and now that store Is deserted. The Juke box Is still Inside, full 6^ recoils, but there Is no one around to play "Cisco Clifton Station." MAP NOTSj Cisco Is shown In detail on the Cisco, UtaHj\15 minute United States Geological Survey topographic map. location of the town Is also shown on most highway mapg, The � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Norman Weis Manuscripts Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1971-1987 Description An account of the resource A collection of manuscripts by Casper College professor Norman Weis. <br /><br />This collection includes manuscripts of:<br /><em>Ghost Towns of the Northwest: Known and Unknown<br />The Starduster<br />Two-Story Outhouse<br />Helldorados<br /></em><br />Each manuscript contains written in edits by Norman Weis Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Norman Weis Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Norm Weiss Manuscripts and Photographs, CCA 10.2003.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Searchable PDF Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA 10.2003.01_Weis_Manuscripts Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Manuscript Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>Helldorados</em> Part VI: Utah Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <p><a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a></p> </div> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1975 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Norman Weis Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Norm Weiss Manuscripts and Photographs, CCA 10.2003.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA 10.2003.01_Weis_Helldorados_Utah Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Searchable PDF