Tintic, Big Hill Mine

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This page was last updated on December 10, 2025.

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Overview

(The focus of this page is the surface workings of the Big Hill mine, as visible in photographs, as well as a general description of the mine, with minimal coverage of the geology and financial returns. Also to establish a timeline using sources not previously readily available.)

The properties in East Tintic developed by John Bestelmeyer include:

All properties lay adjacent to each other, and lay along the west sides of the North Lily and Eureka Lily properties.

Bestelmeyer Family

(Read more about the Bestelmeyer family and its Tintic mines)

Big Hill Mining Company

The following comes from the USGS Professional Paper 1024, published in 1979, page 113.

The Big Hill mine is in the central part of the East Tintic district approximately 1 mile due west of Dividend. It is named from the prominent conical hill a short distance southwest of the mine that rises to an alititude of 7,004 ft.

The original claims in the area apparently were patented by John Bestlemyre, and a company was organized June 15, 1899. In 1919 controlling interest in this company was acquired by Jesse Knight and his associates, who enlarged the shaft that was on the property and deepened it from 200 to 600 ft. Briefly in 1926 the property was leased to the Tintic Standard Mining Co. In 1929, the North Lily-Knight Corporation assumed controlling interest, and the property was leased to the North Lily Mining Co., who extended the shaft to a total depth of 1,940 ft. in 1931. During this same year the Big Hill 1,600-ft level was connected with the North Lily 1,200 level, and the Big Hill 1,900 level was extended onto the properties of the North Lily and Eureka Bullion Mining Companies. The connection at the 1,200 level of the North Lily mine was reportedly made to improve ventilation in the Big Hill mine and to utilize the excess water-pumping capacity of the North Lily mine. All operations from the Big Hill shaft were suspended in May 1932.

The property of the Big Hill Mining Co. consists of all or part of five patented mining claims and an additional 1.58 acres of patented surface rights, all totaling approximately 72 acres. The claims cover the north half of Big Hill and extend northerly along its north-trending spur ridge. Of the outstanding stock, 50.02 percent is owned by the North Lily-Knight Co., 95.47 percent of which company is owned by the North Lily Mining Co., 56.97 percent of which, in turn, is owned by the International Smelting and Refining Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anaconda Co.

The Big Hill shaft is collared at an elevation of 6,430 ft, and has workings as deep as 1,900 feet. The 1,091-ft level is approximately equivalent to the 700 level of the North Lily shaft. The 1,600- and 1,900-ft levels were both driven in conjunction with the exploration and development of the North Lily and Eureka Bullion properties, and within a short distance east-northeast of the shaft, extend across the boundary of the Big Hill claims.

No ores are known to have been produced from areas within the Big Hill claims, although some ores were produced from Big Hill workings that extended onto adjacent properties.

June 23, 1905
John M. Bestelmeyer was working the "Big Hill group" as early as June 1905. (Eureka Reporter, June 23, 1905; he was barely 20 years old at the time)

October 12, 1919
"The management of the Big Hill company reports that the shaft is now down 135 feet and that 65 feet additional will make it of equal depth with the old shaft." (Salt Lake Herald, October 12, 1919)

October 15, 1928
"Because stockholders of the Big Hill Mining Company, Tintic, did not comply with the terms of a tentative deal whereby the Utah Apex Mining Company of Bingham sought an option, it is reported the deal has fallen through. Utah Apex demanded that 51 percent of Big Hill stock be placed in escrow and that the Utah Apex be then allowed sixty days in which to examine the Big Hill property and decide whether it would go farther by operating the ground on an agreed basis for two years; then, if satisfied, would pay a stipulated price for the escrowed shares of Big Hill." (Salt Lake Mining Review, October 15, 1928)

September 21, 1930
From the Salt Lake Tribune, September 21, 1930.

New directors for the Big Hill Mining company, one of the subsidiaries to the newly formed North Lily-Knight Mining company, have been elected. J. Will Knight was re-elected president; Thomas Lyon, vice president; Rom Warburton, Herbert S. Auerbach and W. Q. Van Cott, additional directors.

The work of deepening the company's shaft was started a short time ago on the company's property in the Tlntlc district. It is planned to sink the shaft from the present 900 level to possibly 2800 feet. Fifty feet of work has already been done. It is expected that 100 feet of work will be done each month. The main objective is the Ophir limestone above the quartzite.

Big Hill is only one of the units of the North Lily-Knight's holdings, but it also is the one in which most of the development work will be centered. The North Lily-Knight plans to spend $300,000 in development and the Big Hill development will cost in the neighborhood of $180,000.

December 20, 1930
The Big Hill Mining company was leased to the North Lily Knight company. (Provo Daily Herald, August 8, 1941)

1932
Work from the Big Hill shaft was suspended in 1932, but the property remained important to the North Lily company.

April 12, 1935
The International Smelting and Refining company, a subsidiary of the Anaconda company, through the further subsidiary North Lily Knight company, held 50.02 percent of the Big Hill Mining company. (Deseret News, April 12, 1935; Salt Lake Tribune, April 13, 1935)

(This explains why the International and Anaconda companies were unable to control or merge with the Big Hill company. The remaining percentage, while not controlling, was held by several minority shareholders.)

September 7, 1935
"Development of the extensive holdings cf the North Lily Mining company in the East Tintic mining region, will be resumed immediately, it was learned today. A crew of men has been put to work cleaning out the tunnel which connects the triple compartment shaft of the North Lily, and the double compartment shaft of the Big Hill Mining company, both subsidiary properties of the International Smelting company. The two shafts are connected from the 1200 foot level of the North Lily. When this work is completed, development work will be resumed in the Tintic Bullion ground, lying to the west of the North Lily. The Tintic Bullion acreage was acquired by the North Lily company from the Chief Consolidated Mining company in 1929." (Deseret News, September 7, 1935)

August 8, 1941
The Big Hill Mining company was leased to the North Lily Knight company on December 20, 1930. On August 8, 1941, the shareholders of the Big Hill company agreed to have the lease transferred to the North Lily Mining company, which had recently been consolidated with the North Lily Knight company. (Provo Daily Herald, August 8, 1941)

March 1963
In a move to clean up its holdings in the Tintic district, in March 1963, Anaconda, through its International Smelting company subsidiary, "de-listed" the stock of the Big Hill, Mountain View, and Swansea Consolidated companies from the Salt Lake Stock Exhange. The reason for this was that Anaconda had purchased the last of the outstanding minority shares of the three companies.

1976
The Big Hill Mining company was one of the three former Bestelmeyer properties that, although they were controlled by International Smelting company, remained as separate companies due to the numerous minority shareholders. These three companies were merged into Anaconda in 1976 after Anaconda was able to buy all the outstanding shares of the companies.

Big Hill Mining Company;
East Tintic Coalition Mining Company;
Eureka Bullion Mining Company

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