Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing Co.

Index For This Page

This page was last updated on July 10, 2025.

(Return to Mining Index page)

Overview

The gypsum mine and plaster mill of the Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing Company east of Nephi, Utah, when it started in 1889, was one of the first plaster manufacturing plants in the West, and in Utah.

The following comes from the book, "History of Juab County," by Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1947, page 96, with Nephi being the county seat of Juab County.

In the year 1885, John Hague commenced making plaster by grinding the gypsum rocks between two large stones, cooking the fine dust in a boiler and stirring it with a hoe. This was a crude beginning, but it resulted in an industry that has proved to be one that the United States looks to for the very best gypsum in the world.

The first mill was built in 1887 by Alonzo Hyde and George Whitmore, and others purchased shares of stock in the business. These two men operated a mercantile store, so would pay the workers with goods from the store until their wants were supplied, then would pay cash for the balance due them. In 1888, the water wheel power was started, which was a great improvement but not yet perfect.

The Fowler Brothers of Kansas City, Mo., heard of the great supply of the product and leased the mill for three years. They improved the mill, building a large frame building with milling improvements. This mill operated for nineteen years, when, unfortunately, it burned to the ground.

The following spring, 1909, a new steel mill was built, with modern equipment, which is still in operation. In 1939 the Nephi Plaster Co. sold the mill to the United States Gypsum Company, and many grades of plaster are being manufactured and sold all over the United States. The rock from the mountain by the mill, at the mouth of Salt Creek Canyon, is almost gone, but another mine, equally as genuine, located in the mountain about two miles north of the mill, is being worked. The plaster is carried to the mill in cars on a high tramway. The mine produces approximately 30,000 tons of gypsum annually.

"That mountain is almost entirely composed of plaster of paris. This deposit is so vast as to be considered next to being inexhaustible. It has been proved to be of the finest quality, and needs but little preparation to render it in fit condition for use. The land upon which it exists belongs, we understand, to Messrs William Jennings, John Hague and Captain W. Hooper." (Utah Mining Gazette, January 17, 1874)

The following description of the gypsum deposit at Nephi comes from the August 11, 1918 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune.

Its discovery dates back to the days when the first Mormon pioneers trekked to southern Utah. The mammoth face of milk-white rock exposed high on the mountainside at the portal of Salt Creek canyon made the deposit visible for many miles and led to early exploration and utilization. From the big ledge was taken the material from which plaster was made to finish the old Nephi meeting house a half century ago [1868].

Plaster was produced by calcining in open pans. But it was not until 1880 that any definite steps toward appropriating the deposit in a way that might lead to development of an important industry. It was in that year that patent to the property embracing the exposed ledge was acquired from the government by the late Captain William H. Hooper and his associates, among whom were William Jennings, Thomas Jennings, John Hogue and Alma Hogue.

Nine years after title to the property has been acquired the Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing company was organized [in 1889], and the late George C. Whitmore was added to the directorate. At that time, according to information available, there was not a practical mill for the manufacture of gypsum products west of Kannsas. In order that the new industry might be established on a practical and efficient basis, the services of an expert calciner, with wide experience in the manufacture of gypsum products in the Kansas field, were obtained. A small mill was erected to manufacture ordinary stucco for casting and molding purposes and for a number of years the industry flourished with little r no competition.

Timeline

1882
"A claim 600 by 1500 feet was patented by John Hague and others in 1882 under the name of the Juab Plaster and Mining claim. During the next few years rock gypsum was quarried and calcined in sorghum pans, and the plaster was used locally and shipped to Salt Lake City. In 1888 Messrs. Hyde, Hague and Whitmore incorporated their company and erected a mill." (Salt Lake Tribune, November 14, 1920)

1888
"About thirty-five years ago [ca. 1870] a claim 600 by 1,500 feet in dimensions was formally located, and in 1882 this was patented by John Hague and others under the name of the Juab Plaster and Mining Claim. After small intermittent shipments to Salt Lake City in 1887, under the management of Messrs. Hyde, Hague and Whitmore, rock gypsum was quarried and burned in sorghum pans for local consumption. During the following year [1888], encouraged by the rapidly increasing demand, these persons incorporated their company and erected the nucleus of the present efficient plant." (USGS Bulletin 223, Gypsum Deposits of the United States, 1905, page 103)

March 15, 1888
"A plant for the manufacture of Plaster of Paris is being placed in the mouth of the canyon." (Salt Lake Herald, March 15, 1888, "Nephi Notes")

(This follows two early attempts to develop the gypsum deposit over the previous two years. The first was by John Rowley for his Rowley Plaster Works, and the second was for a Vine Bluff Plaster Works. Both showed Nephi as their headquarters.)

May 17, 1888
"A large force of men have been employed on the Plaster of Paris works at the mouth of the canyon for some time. The works will commence in a week or two." (Salt Lake Herald, May 17, 1888)

(Beginning in late July 1888, Hyde & Whitmore operated under the name of the Nephi Gypsum Company. -- Nephi Ensign, July 27, 1888; first advertisement)

May 8, 1889
"A big and important change has been made with regard to the Nephi plaster of paris works. They have been leased for one year with the privilege at the end of that time of either purchasing or renewing the lease for ten years, to Fowler Bros, of Kansas, a well-known firm of practical men in this line of manufacture. They run manufactories in several parts of the United States and know just what they are doing. They are changing the works entirely, taking out the old machinery and placing in a patent process, one or more large carloads of machinery having already been taken up to the mills. About a score of men are employed about the mills fixing up and making the changes." (Salt Lake Herald, May 8, 1889)

(The Blue Rapids Plaster company was incorporated in Kansas on March 11, 1889, with Frank W. Fowler and Hiram G. Fowler as directors. The first reference of Fowler Bros.' and a plaster mill at Blue Rapids was in May 1887 when they opened the gypsum quarry and built the plaster mill at Blue Rapids. The first advertisement was in September 1888. The Fowler's Blue Rapids plaster mill lasted until 1902 when it was bought by the huge United States Gypsum company, with Frank W. Fowler becoming a vice president of the U. S. company. The Blue Rapids plant itself was destroyed by a flood of the Big Blue River in 1903, and was not rebuilt.)

(In April 1889, a note in the Blue Rapid Times reported that on April 16th, Will McClary of Blue Rapids, and Frank Fowler and wife, also of Blue Rapids, left for Nephi, Utah, to be in the employ of the Fowler Bros'. plaster mill in that city.)

May 16, 1889
"Fowler Bros.' branch mill at Nephi, Utah, has the machinery in place and will probably commence running next week." (Blue Rapids Times, May 16, 1889)

November 1889
"The Nephi Plaster and Manufacturing Company, which has extensive works one and one half miles from Nephi on the San Pete Valley Railway, has been incorporated since November, 1889." (Deseret News, April 5, 1902)

November 25, 1889
"The Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing Company filed articles of agreement Monday with Secretary Sells. Their capital stock is $100,000, divided into 1,000 shares, and the incorporators are John and Alma Hague, G. C. Whitman, J. A. Hyde, John, William, and George Adams, L. U. and H. G. Fowler of Blue Rapids, Kansas, Byron, Caleb and Edward Balin, of Tacoma, and John McCracket, of Portland, Oregon." (Utah Enquirer, November 29, 1889; "Monday" was November 25)

(Blue Rapids, Kansas, situated on the Big Blue River, is 118 miles northwest of Kansas City. The gypsum quarry was located 1-3/4 mile north of town.)

December 25, 1889
From the December 25, 1889 issue of the Salt Lake Herald newspaper.

A rapidly growing institution of Nephi, concerning which Salt Lakers have hitherto known but little, is the Nephi Plaster and Manufacturing company, which has been incorporated, with the following board of directors.

John Hague, President, Nephi.
John McCracken, Vice-President, Portland, Oregon.
J. A. Hyde, Secretary and Treasurer, Nephi.
Alma Hague, Nephi.
George C. Whitmore, Nephi.
F. W. Fowler, Superintendent.

The gypsum mines which this company operates are located about a mile east of Nephi, and were discovered by John Hague over twenty years ago. He was aware that the time would arrive when the value of the mines would be recognized, and for two decades be kept his eye on the property, waiting for that time to come. Last March [1889] Mr. Fowler, the present superintendent and an expert on gypsum, was notified of the existence of these mines by J. S. Tebbets, of the Union Pacific.

Mr. Fowler is a member of the firm of Fowler Brothers, Blue Rapids, Kansas, who are extensive plaster manufacturers, and at Mr. Tebbets’ suggestion, he went to Nephi to look at the property. He was at once struck with the excellent quality of the gypsum and concluded arrangements by which he became interested in the company; and the corporation was made [in 1889] with the above named board of directors.

At present the company is shipping two carloads a day from Nephi and in the spring they expect to be able to turn out one car per hour, having contracted for machinery and a new plant at a cost of $25,000 which Mr. Fowler thinks will enable them to make this achievement without difficulty.

In an interview with a Herald reporter recently, Mr. Fowler stated that he was well acquainted with the quality of the gypsum mines in Kansas, New York and Nova Scotia, but none of these mines could equal in quality the gypsum in Utah. The mine here is practically inexhaustible, consisting of a mountain 4,000 feet high and producing a plaster which, according to Mr. Fowler, is the best on earth. They now work sixty men and supply the whole of the west with plaster, fifteen carloads having been sent to Salt Lake alone.

The Union Pacific railroad has lent a friendly hand to the operations of the company; and by giving a good freight rate an immense trade in the northwest has been opened up. With John McCracken, of Portland, Oregon, and the Tacoma Trading company, of Tacoma, Washington, as general northwestern agents, the future of the Nephi Plaster and Manufacturing company will be an immense one.

January 7, 1891
"Plaster Is A Cement." In March 1890 the Utah territorial legislature "passed a bill exempting from taxation for five years all factories engaged in the manufacture of native or Portland cement from raw material. The Juab County court determined plaster of paris was not a native cement and that the Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing company was not exempt from the new law, and asked the plaster company to pay the taxes due the county, or face a levy that would vacate the property to collect the back taxes. The plaster company sued the county, and after hearing "a great amount of evidence," the First District Court in Provo determined that plaster was indeed a cement, and that the plaster company was indeed exempt. (Salt Lake Herald, January 7, 1891)

April 14, 1891
The Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing company was shipping two carloads of plaster product per day. (Salt Lake Tribune, April 14, 1891)

April 5, 1902
The following excerpts come from the April 5, 1902 issue of the Deseret News newspaper.

The Nephi Plaster and Manufacturing Company, which has extensive works one and one half miles from Nephi on the San Pete Valley Railway, has been incorporated since November, 1889.

They manufacture the following kinds of plaster: Land, dental, casting, finishing, grain and hard wall plaster. They put the land plaster up 100 pound bags only, but all other brands are marketed in bags of 100 pounds each or barrels of 240 rounds each, which is the most convenient form of shipping. The factory has a capacity of 100 tons per day and a ready sale is found for its product throughout Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon and California. The greatest demand for land plaster comes from Oregon, however.

The gypsum rock is quarried from an immense deposit of gypsum, which is about 500 feet from the mill, and loaded on cars which run by gravity to the mill, where the gypsum is dumped into the rock bins. From there it is fed into large crushers, after which it passes through the mill stones which grind it to the required fineness. It is then conveyed and elevated to large jacket kettles and calcined. After being calcined for the proper length of time it is drawn off and passed through wire bolting cloth of various degrees of fineness, and is then sacked or barreled ready for market. The factory furnishes constant employment to between 15 and 25 men, and is the leading industry of Nephi, and the only plant of its kind in the state.

(The San Francisco earthquake of April 1906, although a tragedy of monumental proportions in which more than 3,000 people died and over 80 percent of the city was destroyed, brought an advantage to the building industry of the western United States. The rebuilding after the earthquake required an almost incalculatable benefit to companies that furnished building materials, including steel, building stone, and the plaster industry in Utah, which was still in its initial stages. As a side note to the Utah plaster mills furnishing plaster product to help San Francisco rebuild, the four plaster mills in Blue Rapids, Kansas, were working at capacity to also furnish product to San Francisco. Since they were at the far south end of a Union Pacific branch railroad from Marysville, a distance of 12 miles, all four Blue Rapids mills were having great difficulty in obtaining rail cars to ship their product.)

March 7, 1909
The entire building and plant of the Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing company was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of Sunday March 7, 1909. The cause was not known. Plans were already in hand for a new factory, but the old factory was to remain in place until the new version was complete and in service, furnishing the regular Spring market for plaster products. The new factory was to be complete within 60 days. The contract for construction of the new larger plant had been let a month before. The capacity of the new plant was to be 300 tons per day, compared to the current capacity of 100 tons per day. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 8, 1909; Salt Lake Herald, March 8, 1909)

The plant of the Nephi Plaster and Manufacturing company was destroyed by fire. The decision was made to rebuild with a modern plant. "About this time control of the property was acquired by Dr. Will Ellerbeck of Salt Lake, and James E. Clinton, Sr., and Jr. of Boise, and the management of the company's affairs has rested with them since." (Salt Lake Tribune, August 11, 1918)

(James E. Clinton Sr., of Salt Lake City was a Salt Lake County Commissioner at this time. His son, James E. Clinton Jr. [president of Nephi Plaster], lived in Boise, and his son-in-law, Will Ellerbeck [general manager of Nephi Plaster], lived in Salt Lake City. James E. Clinton Sr., was born in May 1851 and was the son of Judge Jeter Clinton. He passed away in August 1911. The Clintons were among the Pioneer families of Utah, in legal, civic and business affairs.)

October 26, 1909
The new plant of the Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing company went into full operation on Tuesday October 26, 1909. The new plant had a capacity of 200 tons per day, and was made entirely of steel and concrete. (Nephi News-Times, October 29, 1909)

February 11, 1910
"The Nephi Plaster and Manufacturing Co. have shipped 25 car loads of their products since the 1st of February to date. The shipments were made to Utah points and to the North West." (Nephi Times-News, February 11, 1910)

March 18, 1910
"The Nephi Plaster and Manufacturing Co. are erecting a large warehouse with a capacity of 1,000 tons." (Nephi Times-News, March 18, 1910)

March 21, 1910
A convention of "Plaster Men" of the Plaster Manufacturers' Association, representing principal plaster plants west of Chicago, was held in the Knutsford Hotel in Salt Lake City. The major purpose of the association was to secure better transportation rates, and to open lines of communication between the companies. The following companies were represented:

United States Gypsum Co., Chicago
American Cement Plaster Co., Lawrence, Kansas
Acme Cement Plaster Co., St. Louis
Colorado Cement Co., Denver
Overland Plaster Co., Laramie, Wyoming
Buckhorn Plaster Co., Loveland, Colorado
Oregon Lime & Plaster Co., Portland, Oregon
Nephi Plaster Co., Nephi, Utah
Jumbo Plaster Co., Sigurd, Utah

July 28, 1912
A recent single shot at the quarry of the Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing company brought down 50,000 tons of gypsum, in what was reported as being the largest blast in the world. Such an amount was the equivalent of 1,000 carloads, or 40 trains of 25 cars each. The gypsum was 99 percent pure. Previous blasts had ranged from 5,000 tons to 18,000 tons. The blasts came from T-shaped tunnels dug into the mountainside, with three tons of black powder being used to blast 6,000 tons of gypsum. The blasts are set off by electricity. The resulting loose gypsum was shipped to either the Portland Cement plant in Salt Lake City, or to the plaster company's mill at Nephi to be converted to the highest grade of plaster of paris. Ten percent of the plaster product remains in Utah, with the other 90 percent being shipped to all the western states, especially Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, serving the building booms in those cities. A shipment of 1,000 tons, in 30 carloads, was recently shipped to Portland for the construction of the Multnomah Hotel in that city. (Salt Lake Herald, July 28, 1912)

January 12, 1913
Utah plaster from Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing was to be used in all of the buildings at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, set to open in February 1915. A recent contract with the exposition's organizers was to keep the Nephi company busy for many months to come, furnishing thousands of tons of the needed amounts of finishing plaster. Many of the buildings' foundations had been started, with plaster being used in the final finishing decorations. (Salt Lake Herald, January 12, 1913)

July 15, 1914
The amount of Nephi plaster being used in the San Francisco Panama-Pacific Exposition was put at 20,000 tons, in five distinct colors to match each building's color scheme. One contractor alone was using 6,000 tons. (Salt Lake Herald, July 15, 1914)

(Similar amounts of Nephi plaster was also being used in the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego, also set to open in 1915.)

(In addition to furnishing large amounts of building materials for all the buildings, both the San Francisco exposition, and the San Diego exposition were to have a "Utah Building" displaying all manner of exhibits displaying Utah products. Cannon & Fetzer, architects of Salt Lake City, was the architect of both buildings, with California construction companies Northwest Construction company building the San Francisco building, and Hiram P. Hoyt, contractor, building the San Diego building. It was reported in October 1915 that all of the plaster used in the buildings of the San Diego exposition came from the Nephi plaster company, with about 80 percent of the buildings of the San Francisco exposition using the Nephi product.)

March 28, 1915
In addition to announcing a new plant to produce Keene's Cement, as well as stating that the damage from a fire in January that damaged parts of the storehouse and loading tipple had been repaired, the Nephi plaster company also stated, "With the newly constructed tramway the present capacity of the plant is 250 tons of cement a day. The product is mainly high grade wall and ornamental plaster, which is shipped into most every state in the west." (Salt Lake Herald, March 28, 1915)

March 18, 1916
The Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing company completed its new Keene's Cement plant, it was announced "yesterday." With the new crushing, grinding, screening and other specialized machinery, as well as new kilns, the new plant will produce "several hundreds tons a month." The raw gypsum at Nephi was suitable for the production of Keene's Cement due to its notable dense and extremely pure nature. (Salt Lake Herald, March 19, 1916)

November 14, 1920
"A combination of quarrying, glory holes and underground mining is now in use. A large shoulder of gypsum at the top of the quarry is being removed by shooting the rock into a glory hole which is tapped below by a tunnel that lies wholly in gypsum. In winter or inclement weather rock is mined in the tunnel. The gypsum is loaded in small steel mine cars, which are pushed by hand to the loading house at the top of a steeply inclined gravity tram. The loaded tram car, which carries the contents of three or four mine cars, in descending to the mill 400 feet below pulls up the empty car. The load is dumped automatically into a storage bin in the mill." (Salt Lake Tribune, November 14, 1920)

February 2, 1921
"The Utah Natural Products Co. Own 2200 acres of the purest deposit of Gypsum in the State of Utah, a modern mill fully equipped to manufacture cement and plaster. Running to Full capacity, we are far behind our orders now. Must enlarge our factory to meet increased demand. Gypsum is used in the manufacture of wall plaster, Keene Cement, Hollow Tile Brick, Artificial Marble, and has a varied use in any and all building construction. There is no dependency on climate, irrigation, rainfall, cultivation or human effort to produce the raw material. It is a gift of nature to our State, and fortunate indeed are we to whom this gift has come." (Ogden Standard Examiner, February 2, 1921)

March 15, 1925
"The Nephi Plaster & Cement Company has recently awarded a contract to Gates & Glassbrook, local agents, for an Interstate Equipment aerial tramway, to be installed at the Plaster company’s properties near Nephi, Utah." (Salt Lake Mining Review, March 15, 1925)

June 26, 1925
"Friday last the Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing Company closed a deal for the purchase and immediate installation at its properties near Nephi, this state, of an 8,700-foot automatic aerial tramway plant of 50-ton per hour capacity. It is planned to have the tramway completed and in operation by October next. G. K. Kilcar, vice-president of the Interstate Equipment Corporation, 25 Dey Street, New York, which manufactures this class of aerial tram, was on hand to assist in the details of the transaction for Gates & Glassbrook, local representatives of the Interstate company, with General Manager Will L. Ellerbeck of the Nephi Plaster Company. This tramway is to connect the Nephi Plaster’s recently opened quarry with the company’s big milling plant. The tram line has a drop of 600 feet between quarry and mill and, in addition to delivering fifty tons of gypsum rock per hour, it will develop 15 h.p. of reserve energy. Each bucket is of 20 cu. ft. capacity. They are loaded and dumped automatically and one man per shift runs the entire plant. These automatic trams are claimed to be the "last word" in efficient and economical transportation in the field they are designed to cover." (Salt Lake Mining Review, June 30, 1925, "Friday last" = June 26)

December 18, 1925
"The tramway which has been under construction at the plant of the Nephi Plaster and Manufacturing company was completed this week and put into operation. The tramway is 8500 feet long and was constructed by the Inter-State Construction company of New York, the work being in charge of W. J. Gentry, engineer for the construction company. The cost of erecting this improvement will amount to about $80,000 it is said. The tramway was built to connect the mill with a new deposit of gypsum located in the vicinity of the Rowley springs on the north side of the main canyon. The working of this new deposit will give the company a greater variety of gypsum than is now possible in the older workings on the south side of the canyon." (Nephi Times-News, December 18, 1925)

December 20, 1938
"Nephi Plaster Plant Sold - Purchase of the Nephi Plaster and Manufacturing company by the United States Gypsum company was announced here Monday by Sid H. Eliason, Utah sales representative for the new owners. Mr. Eliason announced the plant of the Nephi Plaster and Manufacturing company, near Nephi, will be operated as a division of the larger company, and that no changes in personnel or policies are contemplated. Approximately 30 men, he said, are employed at the manufacturing plant where a large variety of plaster is made." (Salt Lake Tribune, December 20, 1938)

(In May 1948, United States Gypsum completed an entirely new and modern plaster and wallboard plant at Sigurd, Utah, 65 miles south of Nephi. The gypsum deposits near Sigurd were more extensive and plentiful. The Nephi plaster mill never did manufacture wallboard, which is the direction the gypsum market was headed.)

January 10, 1952
"U. S. Gypsum Company will close its Nephi Plant, within a few weeks, company officials announced Wednesday. Ray Gadd, superintendent of the Nephi Plant, said high grade mineral adjacent to the mill had played out. The company therefore will move machinery used in the mill to other locations where they own high grade deposits, he said. The original mill was built by a local group in 1887. In 1938 the U. S. Gypsum Company purchased the plant from the Nephi Plaster Company. The mill employs 13 men, Mr. Gadd said. When they have finished processing the rock on hand the tramway and other machinery will be dismantled and shipped to new locations, he said. This is expected to take several weeks, he said." (Deseret News, January 10, 1952)

Railroad Service

Railroad service to the Nephi plaster plant was furnished by the Rio Grande Western after it had purchased the San Pete Valley Railway in September 1907, which then became the San Pete Valley Branch. Rio Grande Western became part of the Denver & Rio Grande in 1908, then the Denver & Rio Grande Western in 1921. D&RGW abandoned its San Pete Valley Branch, between Nephi and Moroni, in December 1947.

The western portion, 1.9 miles in length, between the UP connection at Nephi and the plaster mill of U. S. Gypsum Company at the mouth of Salt Creek Canyon, was sold to Union Pacific. UP continued to serve the plaster mill until October 1953, when they abandoned the spur, which ran down the middle of Nephi's main east-west thoroughfare, First North Street, which was also designated as Utah Highway 132.

Photos

Gypsum and Plaster -- An online album of photos of the gyprum and plaster industry in Utah, mostly lifted from online newspapers.

Video

How Gypsum Wallboard is Made -- A Youtube video of the History of Simple Things.

###