New Park Mining Company
Mayflower Mine
Index For This Page
This page was last updated on July 29, 2015.
(Return To Park City Index Page)
(Return To Mining In Utah Index Page)
Mayflower Mine
(This Mayflower mine should not be confused with the "old" Mayflower mine, which was the basis for the Silver King Mining Company when it was organized in 1892 by Kearns and Keith.)
New Park Mining Company was a reorganization in 1932 of the Mayflower Mines Corporation, which itself got its start in 1926 when Charles Moore began putting together groups of mining claims on the east side of the Park City district, surmising that the Ontario and Silver King ore veins crossed the canyons and gulches and also existed under Bald Mountain the same as they existed under Treasure Hill on the west side. One of his first groups was the Park Galena group, purchased in 1926, which was soon followed by the Star of Utah group, also purchased in 1926 when Moore bought the old Daly-Judge Extension company. The Park Bingham group came next in 1927. This latter group was renamed the Mayflower group and became the basis for Moore's Mayflower Mines Corporation, which he formed in 1929. This new company was a means to gather investors to fund the construction of tunnels, which would drain the mines and allow the ore to be extracted. Moore began driving two tunnels to drain his new mines. One was the Star of Utah tunnel, which he planned to extend beyond its existing 2,500 feet, to reach the lower levels of the old Wabash ore vein well over a mile to the west. The second tunnel was the Mayflower tunnel, 800 feet lower than the Star of Utah tunnel.
Work started on the Star of Utah tunnel right away, but the Mayflower tunnel would be new, and a site for the portal and surface support buildings was needed. The location selected was the Sailor claim on the east slope of Bald Mountain, in what was known as Dutch Pete Hollow. The site was less than two miles south of Keetley and the portal of the Ontario's drain tunnel, which already had its own railroad spur. Work at the Mayflower site began in March 1929, but there were roads to be built, and structures to be erected. The tunnel started construction, but work was by hand while they waited for electric power to be brought in, and an air compressor house to be built. Work was slow, but quickened considerably when the compressor house was completed in early June. Both tunnels progressed at a rate of 10-15 feet per day, depending on the character of the rock being driven through.
As each tunnel was being driven, a small of amount of ore of varying quality helped pay expenses, and the Park Galena mine was shipping ore regularly from the few ore veins not involved in property suits. Mining litigation was an ongoing activity in any mining district, as one mine owner sued another mine owner over whose ore was being mined, and Park City certainly had its share. Some suits drug out in the courts for as many as 20 years. Another benefit of both new tunnels, like the Ontario, Anchor and Alliance drain tunnels in other parts of the Park City district, was to drain other mining properties, and transport ore mined by other mining companies.
Regular progress reports for the Star of Utah and Mayflower tunnels were shared in the local newspaper, but shareholders were anxious for the profits to start. In September 1930, three years after work started, the Star of Utah reached it objective 8,100 feet from the portal, and began development of the Naildriver and Wabash veins. But sadly, the ore revealed was not the high value the best mining engineers had hoped for. The Star of Utah soon became a transportation and drain tunnel, from which other companies drove side drifts to access their own claims and veins. Ore was transported by wagon, and later truck, to the loading station at Keetley.
At the Mayflower, 800 feet lower than the Star of Utah, the objective was the Park Bingham vein, about 3,000 feet from the portal, and the Park Galena vein at about 4,500 feet. Work was slowed when Mayflower Mines Corporation went bankrupt due to the low price of lead and silver. Low metal prices meant that the company was unable to meet its expenses and mortgage, which continued regardless of the price of metals. Mining was, and still is, a delicate balance between the price of what's being mined, and the cost to mine it.
Mayflower Mines Corporation was reorganized in May 1932 as the New Park Mining Company, with new officers and directors. To reduce its high debt, work continued only on mining the few veins of high value ore, and some of the minor adjacent claims were sold to raise additional funds. As company finances improved, work resumed on the Star of Utah tunnel, but as already mentioned, the ore found in the tunnel and sideway drifts failed to return much value.
Work on the Mayflower tunnel stopped to allow the company to concentrate on developing the Star of Utah, and the Park Galena, which had settled most of its litigation by 1935, and became a paying mine. By early 1934, work resumed on the Mayflower, taking advantage of improving finances by shipping good ore from the Star of Utah and Park Galena properties. The distance from the Mayflower portal was reported to be 4,800 feet, and within a year, the objective of the Park Bingham vein had been reached, and a vertical tunnel was started to reach the paying ore veins.
After the Park Galena suits were settled in 1935, the New Park company began extending its tunnels to connect with the Mayflower, and in late 1940 the connection was made between the rich ore veins of the Park Galena and the Mayflower tunnel, 6,600 feet from the Mayflower portal. At the portal, the existing structures and support facilities were brought into good condition, and beginning in October 1940, the Mayflower became a mine that shipped high value ore.
And now for that news item about a new Union Pacific spur in 1941. In September, less than a year after the Mayflower began shipping ore, Union Pacific finished extending, by 1.7 miles, its original track to the Ontario drain tunnel at Keetley, originally completed in 1923. Union Pacific built the new line at a cost of $99,000, and the new spur was opened for service after a ceremony attended by 900 people on Sunday September 21. During the dedication ceremony, a special silver spike was driven. The station at the end of the line was called Crammer, named in honor of W. H. H. Crammer, president and general manager of New Park Mining Company. The construction work for the spur was completed by Morrison Knudsen, the international construction company based in Boise, Idaho.
Service on Union Pacific's Ontario Branch started in 1923 after the Park Utah Consolidated Mining company changed it loading station from the original Ontario spur above downtown Park City, to the expanded and improved Ontario drain tunnel at Keetley. The line was extended in 1941 to serve the Mayflower mine. Railroad service continued to the two mines, and to Park City where the Silver King continued to load from its aerial tramway, and other mines continued to use truck dumps to load directly into rail cars.
As metal prices went through their cycles of good and bad, so too did the mines at Park City, with comparable variations in carloads being shipped. Then in late 1971, the two lead mills and smelters in Utah closed their operations, forcing Utah mines to either absorb the higher costs to ship their ores out of state, or to simply shut down. What was left of the Ontario and Silver King mines, and all their various consolidated and merged predecessor companies that had formed United Park City Mines Company, leased its operations to low-cost operators, who didn't use rail service. And the New Park Mining Company closed its Mayflower mine completely.
(Portions of this article were first published in the UtahRails.net blog on June 23, 2013)
Timeline
1923-1927
Answering an inquiry about the reason for selling the Park Bingham to the Mayflower company, the former owners stated that during their development work in 1923 to 1926, they had found valuable ore after driving their tunnel a distance of 2,000 feet, but at the same time they hit a "gusher" of water. Their pumps could not handle the flow of water, and they were unable to obtain funding to drive a drainage tunnel, which would have been driven at the depth of 600 feet to drain their workings. They were forced to shut down their operations in the spring of 1927. (Park Record, March 1, 1929, "two years ago last spring")
September 1926
During September 1926, the Star of Utah was in the process of absorbing the old Daly-Judge Extension Mining Company, whose shares were in escrow pending final exchange of five shares of Daly Judge Extension stock for one share of Star of Utah stock. The Daly-Judge Extension company had been organized in mid March 1916 to work eight claims on 140 acres in the Blue Ledge section, southeast of the immediate Park City district, and situated under Bald Mountain. (Park Record, March 24, 1916; September 24, 1926)
December 15, 1927
The new floatation mill of the Park Galena Mining Company commenced operation on December 15, 1927. (Deseret News, December 17, 1927)
The Park Galena Mining Company had been organized in 1926 by William Anderson and J. F. Featherstone, former officers of the Glen Allen (or Glenallen) Mining Company, after they had purchased the assets of the Glen Allen (or Glenallen) company at a mortgage foreclosure sale. Several shareholders in the Glenallen company sued the Park Galena, saying that the former officers did not have the authority to purchase the Glenallen property. Park Galena owned and controlled other mining properties and stopped mining activties in the former Glenallen property in 1929 while the suit passed through various courts in Salt Lake, Wasatch, and Weber counties, as well as the Utah supreme court and the federal district court in Salt Lake City. In March 1935, an agreement was reached that separated the Glenallen property into two companies, one to be owned and controlled by New Park, as successor to Park Galena, and the other owned and controlled by the Glenallen shareholders, but which would lease the old Star of Utah tunnel owned by New Park. The final negoiations were delayed, and the parties appear to have changed by October 1935 when New Park announced that it would sell 130 acres of mining claims to United States Smelting Refining & Mining Company, and would allow USSR&M access to the Star of Utah tunnel to transport its ore to the surface, for which USSR&M would pay New Park for each ton of ore transported. In turn, New Park would receive clear title to the remainder of the Park Galena property, including the mine and all buildings and machinery, and would immediately open up and start shipping from the valuable Park Galena mine. (Park Record, March 13, 1931; May 22, 1931; Salt Lake Telegram, March 2, 1935; October 31, 1935)
June 1928
Charles Moore purchased the Park Bingham in June 1928. "As soon as we purchased the the Park Bingham ground, about 20th of last June, we stopped work in the 300-foot shaft and we quit shipping ore immediately." (Park Record, April 19, 1929)
March 15, 1929
The Star of Utah company was organized by Charles Moore "two years ago" (1927) and consisted of 1200 acres that were adjacent to the Park City Consolidated group. The Star of Utah group included the old Wabash group, that had struck valuable ore in 1908. The Wabash mine was shut down due to excess water, but the Star of Utah drain tunnel was expected to drain these valuable ores. (Park Record, March 15, 1929)
March 1929
Charles Moore, president and manager of the Star of Utah Mining Company, organized the Mayflower Mines Corporation enterprise in early March 1929 to own and control the Park Bingham property purchased by Mr. Moore. This property adjoined the Park Galena on the east side of the Park City district. Continuation of the Park Bingham tunnel on a cooperative agreement between the Mayflower and Star of Utah companies will give the Star of Utah entrance to its ground at a depth of 810 feet vertically below the present tunnel level. Mayflower Mines operations were to begin in February or by the first of March, from the Park Bingham tunnel. The Star of Utah tunnel was progessing 200 feet per month, and had been completed to 5,600 feet in the past 26 months. The goal was to extend downward the ore bodies of the old Wabash, to a distance of 3,500 feet. Moore also owned the Panther Mines Company, 40 miles north of Montello, Nevada. The Star of Utah concentrating mill was a gravity type, with 70 percent concentration, and would soon be converted to a floatation type. (Park Record, January 25, 1929)
March 9, 1929
On March 9, 1929, at the annual shareholders meeting of the Park Galena Mining Company, Charles Moore, who owned two-thirds of the Park Galena stock, was elected president and the board of directors was reorganized. By adding the 280 acres from Park Galena, Moore owned a total of 1,700 acres in the East Park City district, including the Mayflower and the Star of Utah. The Park Galena mill was temporarily shut down, but during the first week of March, the mine shipped 58 tons of first class, crude ore directly to the smelter. On March 7, 1929, Moore purchased the Superior Mining Company, adjoining the Star of Utah. (Park Record, March 1, 1929; March 8, 1929; March 15, 1929; April 12, 1929)
On March 14, 1929, Charles Moore was granted an easement by the East Utah Mining Company to use that company's tunnel near Keetley, where the Park Utah Consolidated had its Ontario tunnel. The East Utah company had driven its tunnel a distance of 2,700 feet to the south line of its claim. Its working face was 6,000 feet from the Park Galena mine, and 800 feet below the Star of Utah. The East Utah tunnel, when extended, would allow mining at great depth of the Mayflower (former Park Bingham), Star of Utah, and Park Galena mines. (Park Record, March 15, 1929, "on Thursday")
March 1929
The Mayflower company decided not to use the East Utah tunnel, as previously announced, but instead to drive an all-new tunnel from its own property. The Mayflower tunnel was being driven 800 feet below the Star of Utah. Work commenced on Saturday March 24 at the new tunnel site. Preliminary work to construct buildings and other improvements would take three to four weeks, at which time work would commence on the tunnel itself, which would be 7 feet by 8 feet and "straight as an arrow." The new tunnel would be driven through two ore fissures already on the Mayflower property. The new Mayflower tunnel would allow an additional 810 feet of depth to be worked in the Star of Utah mine. Work on the Mayflower tunnel itself commenced in early April 1929. (Park Record, March 22, 1929; March 29, 1929; April 5, 1929)
April 1929
The Park Galena (former Glencoe) mine shipped 264 tons of smelting ore in the last week of March 1929, with milling ore being stockpiled pending the reopening of the mill. (Park Record, April 5, 1929)
April 19, 1929
"Heretofore, the three companies [Park Galena, Mayfower, and Star of Utah] have been working in shallow tunnels and shafts, but in each instance profitable mining has virtually been prohibitive by water and heavy pumping expenses. In the Park Galena property a fissure containing from two to six feet of silver lead ore has been developed virtually from the surface down to the 600-foot level by shaft and tunnel work, while some ore has been developed in the upper levels of the Star of Utah and the Mayflower." "It is Mr. Moore's plan to develop the three properties through a deep development and drain tunnel which will give from approximately 500 to 1,500 feet of additional depth on the various properties." The Star of Utah tunnel had been driven a distance of 3,800 feet, and cut "a mighty nice fissure" of ore in late October. The ore was being mined at a cost of $10 per ton, which included pumping. A drain tunnel in the Mayflower property, below the Star of Utah and the Park Galena, would cut the cost down to $5 per ton. (Park Record, April 19, 1929)
April 19, 1929
The Mayflower tunnel portal was located on the Sailor claim of the former Park Bingham group, taken over by the Mayflower company. The portal was in Dutch Pete Hollow about a mile from Keetley, and about 70 to 80 feet higher than the Union Pacific spur. At a distance of about 3,000 feet, about 700 feet below the surface, they expected the tunnel to cut the Park Bingham (Mayflower) vein, and at about 4,500 feet they expected to cut the Park Galena vein. At the Star of Utah, ore was showing at both headings. (Park Record, April 19, 1929)
May 1929
The original Park Bingham tunnel was located about 3,000 to 4,000 feet up the gulch from the big new Mayflower tunnel. The previous company about four years before (1925) had driven its tunnel about 250 feet and found good ore. "This kind of ore would net us at the smelter about $55 to $60 per ton, and allowing for charges to the railroad, a little over a mile away, would amount to about $1.00 to $1.50 per ton, and allowing for $1.00 per ton railroad freight to the smelters, and allowing $8.00 a ton mining expenses and development expenses, this ore should net us around $40 to $45 per ton." One of the claims that was part of the Star of Utah group was one of the first shippers of ore from the Park City district in the early 1870s, and plenty of ore was shipped by Colonel Trewick in 1909 from the old Wabash mine. The old Wabash mine was at the heart of the Star of Utah ground, which was about 14,000 feet east to west, and about half to three-quarters of a mile wide, north to south. The Wabash stike was about 8,000 feet from the Star of Utah portal, or about 8,000 west and southwest of the same portal. The Star of Utah transportation, development and drainage tunnel was being pushed at a lower level to hit this same ore vein. The Mayflower transportation, development and drainage tunnel was being driven with the primary purpose to develop the Park Bingham and Park Galena properties "at depth." The secondary purpose of the Mayflower tunnel was to develop the Star of Utah property at depth. (Park Record, May 17, 1929; August 2, 1929)
May 1929
In late May 1929, the Mayflower tunnel had been driven just 125 feet, all by hand. In late May the new air compressor and electric power had been installed, and progress would improve considerably. There had been numerous delays due to bad weather, bad roads, and problems getting machinery and materials. The Park Galena had just shipped 144 tons of smelting ore. A road had been completed, and several structures had been built, including a compressor house and a bunk house. (Park Record, May 31, 1929; June 6, 1929)
July 1929
The Mayflower mine was about half to three-fourths of a mile up the side of Bald Mountain, and Star of Utah is still further up the side of Bald Mountain. Star of Utah and Park Galena are lying side by side, and Mayflower is just east of Park Galena and Star of Utah. Park Galena and Star of Utah are bounded on the east by the holdings of Mayflower. (Park Record, July 12, 1929)
July 1929
The Mayflower tunnel was expected to strike ore on about December 10th, at a depth of about 1,500 feet. (Park Record, July 19, 1929)
October 1929
Bald Mountain rises to a height of 9,350 feet. The portal of Star of Utah tunnel is at an altitude of about 7,200 feet and the Mayflower tunnel is at an altitude of about 6,400 feet. The distance from the portal of the Star of Utah tunnel to the top of Bald Mountain is about 6,200 feet. The distance from the portal of the Mayflower tunnel to the top of Bald Mountain is about ten thousand feet. (Park Record, October 18, 1929)
November 1929
By mid November, the Star of Utah was into the mountain a distance of 6,000 feet. (Park Record, November 22, 1929)
December 1929
During December 1929, the Park Galena shipped 10 cars of ore to the smelter, or about 500 tons. (Park Record, January 3, 1930)
January 1930
The Mayflower tunnel had reached 1,200 feet. The Park Galena is producing about 700 tons per month. (Park Record, January 31, 1930)
March 1930
In early March 1930, the Star of Utah tunnel had reached 7,000 feet, with progress of about 9-1/2 feet per day. (Park Record, March 7, 1930)
June 1, 1930
"Charles Moore, the veteran mine operator, in the summer of 1928 bought the Park Bingham and gathered in the several other properties that became the Mayflower Mines Corporation. The company was organized under Utah laws in February 1929. The development was begun soon after, and in the last week of March 1929, the main tunnel was gotten under way. As of June 1, 1930, fourteen months later, this tunnel was in around 1,700 feet, or about 60 per cent complete to its first objective the ore bodies between 2,250 and 2,750 feet. These ore bodies will then be developed and the tunnel will be continued into the Star of Utah ground, and other properties lying to the west." (Park Record, July 11, 1930)
(Park Record, July 25, 1930 includes an article with good background of the Wabash claim, as well as a description of the Mayflower tunnel)
September 1930
In September 1930, the Star of Utah tunnel was stopped at 8,100 feet, and crosscuts started to the north and to the south to reach the Naildriver vein, and the Wabash vein. The Mayflower tunnel had reached 2,000 feet, and 2,500 feet by mid December 1930. By May 1931, the Star of Utah was into the ore, as was the Mayflower tunnel, although the latter tunnel was not yet to its objective. By early July 1931, the conditions at the Mayflower tunnel were "small ore showings, heavy flow of water, and fair progress being made at the face of the tunnel." By late August 1931, work had stopped at both the Star of Utah and the Mayflower, with no indication as to the reason. (Park Record, September 5, 1930; December 17, 1930; May 15, 1931; July 3, 1931; August 28, 1931)
April 30, 1932
The Mayflower Mines Corporation was to be reorganized, following a special shareholder's meeting to be held on April 30, 1932. The Star of Utah had debt of $58,751, the Mayflower had debt of $79,117, and the Park Galena had debt of $4,517. Due to the low prices of metals, neither property was able to meet it mortgage payments due to high mining expenses, including pumping expenses. (Park Record, April 1, 1932)
May 1932
New Park Mining Company was organized in May 1932, as a consolidation of the previous Star of Utah, Mayflower and Park Galena properties. After being idle since July 3, 1931, a large force was to return to work on July 1, 1933. (Park Record, May 13, 1932; May 20, 1932; April 7, 1933)
1932
The Mayflower mine was opened in 1932 by New Park Mining Company. Development work began immediately and a large ore body was first struck in early January 1940. Monthly profits went from over $5,000 to more than $30,000 in just four months. (Davis County Clipper, August 2, 1940)
July 3, 1933
The offer to convert shares in Star of Utah, Mayflower, and Park Galena expired. There was a fee of 10 cents per share to complete the conversion. The mines were still shut down due to financial difficulties due to the low price of lead and silver. The new company had sold the adjacent Columbus claim for $102,522 to raise funds. Debt had been reduced to $22,671, and a mortgage of $24,250 remained. The Star of Utah had been driven to 8,200 feet, with 3,000 feet of crosscuts. The Mayflower tunnel had been driven to 3,500 feet, and was 800 feet below the Star of Utah and Park Galena workings. The Park Galena had been driven to 2,500 feet, and included a 260-foot tunnel sunk below the main tunnel. (Park Record, June 16, 1933; See also: Deseret News, July 13, 1933 for similar coverage.)
August 1933
Work resumed on the Mayflower tunnel in August 1933, and had reached 3,600 feet. Work was also resuming on the crosscuts at the Star of Utah mine. Charles Moore was no longer either an officer of the new company, or a director. W. H. H. Crammer was voted in as the company's new president. In December 1933, work on the Mayflower tunnel was suspended so that work could be concentrated on the Star of Utah, which was shipping ore and would reduce the company's indebtedness. In February 1934, the Star of Utah hit a vein that tested 8 per cent lead and 45 ounces of silver per ton. Work had resumed on the Mayflower tunnel, and had reached 4,000 feet, which was only 200 feet from the projected start of the Park Bingham vein. (Park Record, September 29, 1933; December 29, 1933; February 2, 1934)
(Charles Moore was born on August 12, 1866 at Lebanon, Ohio. Moore had first came to Park City in 1900. He died on July 29, 1950. At the time of his death, he was the operator of the Flagstaff mine at Park City, and was living in Sacramento, California. Deseret News, July 30, 1950; Park Record, August 3, 1950)
April 1934
The New Park company granted the Park City Consolidated company access to its Blue Ledge property through the Star of Utah tunnel. After that, New Park stopped work in the Star of Utah property and concentrated its work in the Mayflower tunnel, which had been driven to 4,800 feet. By February 1935, the New Park company's Mayflower tunnel had reached its objective, and work had begun on a rise to connect with the Park Bingham ore vein. At the same time, ore being shipped through its Star of Utah tunnel was bringing the company into excellent financial condition. (Park Record, August 24, 1934, "four months ago"; February 8, 1935)
August 1934
About 125 tons of shipping ore had been taken as work on the Star of Utah tunnel continued. The ore assayed at .14 to .5 ounces of gold per ton, and 5 to 12 ounces of silver. The ore also held 17 to 64 percent lead and 5 to 25 percent zinc. The ore was in the Wasatch vein and was encountered 4,000 feet from the portal. (Deseret News, August 15, 1934)
September 1935
Ore from the Star of Utah tunnel was being shipped by truck from the portal, over a shale road to Keetley, where it was being loaded into railroad cars. (Park Record, September 20, 1935)
1937
Among the producers in the Park City district in 1937 were the Silver King Coalition Mines Company, Park Utah Mines Company, Park City Consolidated, and the newest producer, New Park Mining Company. (Davis County Clipper, February 19, 1937)
April 25, 1940
Union Pacific began surveying for a new spur to be built south from Keetley, to the site of the Mayflower tunnel of the New Park Mining company. (Park Record, April 25, 1940)
October 1, 1940
After connecting with the Park Galena ore vein, the New Park Mining company was using the Mayflower tunnel to transport ore to the surface. The buildings at the Mayflower portal had been put back into shape, including a new compressor house, new shops and a new warehouse. The Star of Utah tunnel, after reaching 8,000 feet, had only been in development and never in production, and in December 1940 was being rented to Park City Utah Mines Company. The Park Galena was again in production after many years of suits and countersuits were settled in 1935. But without an economic connection to get the ore out of the mine, the expense of pumping and transportation in the lower levels by using a series of hoists and trams, was too much for the mine to be profitable. The Mayflower tunnel had been driven 7,546 feet, with a raise of 633 feet to reach the Park Galena vein. October 1, 1940 was being used as the date when development ended and production started. (Park Record, December 12, 1940)
1941
During 1941, the Mayflower mine of the New Park Mining Company shipped 29,309 tons of dry ore, compared to 20,333 tons during 1940, a 44 percent increase. (Park Record, April 23, 1942; figures given in pounds) (At 50 tons per carload, the mine shipped about 586 carloads of dry ore during 1941, or about 11 carloads per week.)
July 13, 1941
Construction of Union Pacific's extension from Keetley to the Mayflower mine was started. The work was being done by Morrison Knudsen of Boise. (Salt Lake Tribune, July 13, 1941)
September 21, 1941
Union Pacific's original track to the Ontario drain tunnel at Keetley, was extended 1.76 miles to a new mine known as the Mayflower. Union Pacific built the new line at a cost of $99,000, and the new spur was opened for service after a ceremony attended by 900 people on Sunday September 21, 1941. During the dedication ceremony, a special silver spike was driven. The station at the end of the line was called Cranmer, named in honor of W. H. H. Cranmer, president and general manager of New Park Mining company. The construction work for the spur was completed by Morrison Knudsen. (Park Record, September 25, 1941; April 23, 1942) (W. H. H. Cranmer was president and general manager of New Park Mining company from 1934 through to his retirement in 1962, remaining on the company's board of directors. William Henry Harrison Cranmer died on May 9, 1967 at age 84.)
Prior to the completion of the spur to the Mayflower, the mine's ore was hauled by truck to the Park Utah Consolidated Mines Company at Keetley, to be shipped to the Midvale smelter of the United States Smelting, Refining & Mining Company. (Park Record, December 12, 1940; this article includes an excellent technical description of the New Park properties)
August 20, 1942
"The portal of the Mayflower Tunnel is situated in Big Dutch Pete Hollow at an elevation of 6,444 feet and is 1-3/4 miles south of Keetley. The tunnel was driven 6,620 feet south 73 degrees west until the Park Galena fissure was intersected. The fissure system has been developed on the tunnel for 2,000 feet and since mining operations began from this tunnel 103,000 dry tons of ore have been produced." (Park Record, August 20, 1942)
May 5, 1943
In May 1943, the New Park was the leading producer in the Park City district, with 1,820 tons shipped in just one week. (Park Record, May 5, 1943)
July 1950
New Park shipped 6,448 tons of ore from its Mayflower mine near Keetley. (Deseret News, August 2, 1950) (About 129 car loads at 50 tons per car, or about 4 to 5 cars per day being handled by UP's Park City Local)
September 27, 1957
The Mayflower mine was closed due to rising labor costs and other costs of operation. The move forced 170 men out of work. Also, New Park's management was focused on mines in other mining districts, along with oil exploration and uranium exploration. To continue mining operations, and to overcome labor restrictions from the local miners' union (Local 4264, United Steel Workers), the Mayflower mine was being operated under lease to 60 individual leasers. Under this new leasing system, in January 1958 the total production of the mine was 91 carloads. By January 1959, this number had increased to 88 individual leasers. The local labor union representing the miners expelled the leasers, and filed suit with the National Labor Relations Board. The union lost its complaint before both the NLRB and a later suit in federal district court, which was decided in December 1958. (Deseret News, October 8, 1957; Park Record, February 6, 1958; January 15, 1959)
November 1957
Park City had "become a ghost town with a population drop of from 3,000 to 1,800 in the past eight years." Ore reserves at the Mayflower mine had fallen from 137,000 tons in January 1957, to 21,000 tons in July. (Deseret news, November 20, 1957)
September 1961
The operation of the Mayflower mine was leased entirely to Hecla Mining Company. The lease agreement to Hecla included an agreement for Hecla to build a concentrator mill with 650 tons per day capacity at the tunnel portal of the Mayflower mine. By late November 1962, the mill was in operation, and concentrate was being shipped by the carload. At the time the mill was opened, there was a three-year reserve of ore already mined and waiting to be processed. (Summit County Bee Park Record, September 7, 1961; November 22, 1962)
September 29, 1961
The board of directors of the New Park Mining Company announced that Charles A. Steen had been appointed executive vice president and a director of the company. It was hoped that Steen's experience in uranium exploration would benefit New Park's own broadened exploration efforts. Steen was named as president and chief executive officer on March 2, 1962, replacing long time president W. H. H. Crammer, who had announced his retirement. In early October 1965, Steen announced that he would resign his presidency and sell his stock in New Park, remarking that he was having to spend too much time on matters of sole interest to his duties with New Park. (Summit County Bee Park Record, October 5, 1961, "Friday"; March 8, 1962, "Friday"; October 14, 1965, "Thursday")
September 1963
Hecla had completed a new 400-ton silver, gold, copper, lead and zinc concentrating mill, and was leasing the Mayflower mine from New Park Mining Company. (Deseret News, September 18, 1963; special Centennial of Utah Mining issue)
May 1965
While United Park City Mines was shipping 33 cars per week, Hecla Mining was only shipping five cars per week from the Mayflower. (Park Record, May 6, 1965)
June 1965
New Park Mining Company registered the sale of 350,958 shares of common stock to finance development work at its Mammoth mine near Eureka. At the time, New Park had a working agreement with Hecla Mining Company of Wallace, Idaho, for the managemnet and operation of the Mayflower mine and adjacent properties. (SEC News Digest, Issue 65-6-4, June 4, 1965)
February 1957
The Mayflower mine, owned by New Park Mining Company, was being operated by Hecla Mining Company of Wallace, Idaho, and the revenues shared 50-50. By February 1957, Hecla had recovered all of its pre-production costs, along with the $200,000 it had advanced New Park as part of the operating agreement. New Park was to begin receiving its full 50 percent share of the mine's net income in second quarter of 1957. (Deseret News, February 20, 1967)
August 1968
New Park had earnings that were the highest in the company's 19 year history. Included in the earnings report is the initial sales of conentrates that had been stockpiled at the Mayflower mine duirng the smelter workers' strike during the last half of 1967. Over 7,100 tons of gold- and silver-rich ores had been stockpiled during the strike. (Deseret News, August 16, 1968)
Early November 1971
Anaconda announced that it would be closing its lead smelter at Tooele, and one week later, the United States company announced "phased shutdown by year's end" of its lead smelter at Midvale. With the closing of the Midvale and Tooele plants, several mines in Utah also announced their shut down. Hecla Mining Company was already sending its ore from the Mayflower mine to ASARCO at El Paso, but other mines were faced with having to ship their raw ores to either the ASARCO and Bunker Hill smelter at Kellogg, Idaho, or to the ASARCO smelter at El Paso, Texas. All of the mines faced likely shutdown due to the high cost of transportation, and the low market value of lead, zinc and silver. (New York Times, November 27, 1971) (Read more about the end of lead smelting and refining in Utah)
Hecla Mining company's new directions in development in other extraction industries, such as oil and uranium, forced the Mayflower mine into the background of management's attention, and production started to decline. Then the local lead smelters and refineries were closed in late 1971. The declining production, and increased costs forced the entire New Park operation to close, and the company assets were sold in a bankruptcy sale in August 1972, and the area around the Mayflower portal was cleared of all buildings and equipment. (Treasure Mountain Home, Introduction, page xv)
The Mayflower mine, leased by Hecla Mining Company from New Park Mining Company, closed at the end of 1972. The Keetley site was abandoned as a rail operation in 1975 when Park City Ventures replaced it with a new vertical shaft located south of Park City, very near the former site of the original Ontario Mine.
###