Tintic District History, 1949 to 1956

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This page was last updated on January 16, 2026.

(The focus of this information is to describe the general history of the Tintic Mining District, using sources not previously readily available.)

Tintic, After World War II

1947
"The Tintic district has long been one of the most productive in Utah [as of 1947]. Owing to poor transportation facilities, development of the district was not rapid until 1878, when the railroad from Salt Lake City reached Ironton, five miles from Eureka. Prior to that time, however, there was considerable mining of rich ores found near the surface which were shipped to San Francisco, California, to Reno, Nevada, Baltimore, Maryland, and even to Swansea, Wales. Later, most of the ores were shipped to Argo and Pueblo, Colorado, and to Salt Lake valley smelters." (The Mining Industry of Utah, published by the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce, 1947)

1949
From "A Brief History of Mining in Utah" by Burt B. Brewster, E. M., part of "Utah: A Centennial History," ed. Wain Sutton, 1949, Volume II.

Copper in The Tintic District -- The mining of copper ore in appreciable amount in the Tintic District originated in 1869, mostly in the Copperopolis and Mammoth properties at Mammoth but the metal caused trouble due to the metallurgical difficulties of the times. Later contributors to the district’s copper output were the Centennial-Eureka, Eagle & Blue Bell and Bullion-Beck, all since acquired at different times by the United States Smelting Refining & Mining Company; the Iron Blossom (now Tintic Standard); the Eureka Hill (now Chief Consolidated); the Grand Central (acquired later from Chief Consolidated by the American Smelting & Refining Company); and the Dragon mines.

In 1900 the value of annual copper output from the Tintic District reached a million dollars, in 1912 more than two million and again exceeded that value in 1917. In recent years the principal copper producers in the Tintic District have been the Chief Consolidated Mining Company; Tintic Standard Mining Company; Eureka Lilly Consolidated and Colorado Consolidated Mines (Tintic Standard).

From 1869 through 1947 the Tintic District has produced 121,321 tons of copper metal.

Lead in the Tintic District -- History credits Steven Moore with having made the first lead discovery, the Sunbeam claim in the Tintic District in 1870. According to the records about $500,000 covered the value of lead shipped during the period 1870 to 1886. From then until 1894 the reported annual value of lead output did not reach $50,000. It reached a little more than a million dollars in 1898, and except for “off” years has continued to be of major importance to the district.

From 1870 through 1947 the Tintic District has produced 932,382 tons of lead metal.

For many years the mines that shipped lead most steadily were the Bullion Beck, Centennial-Eureka, and Eagle & Blue Bell, now all owned by the United States Smelting Refining & Mining Company; the Chief, Eureka Hill, Gemini, Plutus and Ridge & Valley, currently owned by the Chief Consolidated Mining Company; the Grand Central, lately owned by the American Smelting & Refining Company; the Colorado Cons, Iron Blossom, and Tintic Standard, of which the first two listed were acquired later by the Tintic Standard Mining Company; the Godiva; the Dragon, May Day, Mountain View, Uncle Sam and Yankee Cons, all of which later became the property of or under the control of the International Smelting & Refining Company; Sioux; Bowers, Gold Chain; South Swansea; Crown Point; and Lower Mammoth.

The North Lily mine, owned by International Smelting & Refining Company, which started shipping in the mid-1920s, is the only really major new lead producer in the district. Other new shippers of lead are the Eureka Lilly and Eureka Bullion mines.

Silver in the Tintic District -- From 1869 through 1947 silver has been the most important metal produced in the matter of value in the Tintic District. During that period the output of the district has totaled 260,773,729 ounces.

Early silver producing mines were the Scotia, Swansea, Showers, Crimson-Mammoth, Sunbeam, and Eagle. After 1900 important additional producers included the Eagle & Blue Bell, Centennial-Eureka, Victoria (all now owned by the United States Smelting Refining and Mining Company), the Grand Central (now owned by the American Smelting & Refining Company), the Chief Cons., Iron Blossom, Iron King (both now part of Tintic Standard). Later came the Tintic Standard and North Lily (International Smelting & Refining Company) mines.

Today consolidations in the Tintic District have reduced the number of major operating companies to the Chief Consolidated Mining Company, Tintic Standard Mining Company, the United States Smelting Refining and Mining Company, Mammoth Mining Company and the North Lily Mining Company.

Gold in the Tintic District -- Although the Mammoth and Wyoming (Eagle & Blue Bell) mines produced gold in the early 1870s, gold did not take on major importance in the Tintic District until the late 1890s, reaching its first annual value of more than a million dollars in 1900 when production totaled 75,355 ounces valued at $1,557,726.

The principal gold producing mines in the Tintic District, with the Mammoth leading, have been the Mammoth, Grand Central, Eureka Hill, Eagle & Blue Bell, Chief, Centennial-Eureka, Victoria, Dragon, Iron Blossom, Swansea, South Swansea, and Iron King.

Most of the other mines herein-before listed under silver and lead producers have contributed gold because of its presence in the ores of the district.

Of later vintage in gold shipments are the Eureka-Standard (Tintic Standard controlled), now idle; the North Lily mine of the International Smelting & Refining Company; the Eureka Bullion and Eureka Lily mines.

The Tintic District’s recorded gold production through 1947 has been 2,603,698 ounces.

Zinc in the Tintic District -- It was 1912 before any zinc production was recorded for the Tintic District—3,709,737 pounds, valued at $255,972. Early shippers of zinc ores were the Bullion Beck, Colorado, Chief, Empire, Gemini, Godiva, Iron Blossom, Lower Mammoth, May Day, Ridge & Valley, Sioux, and Uncle Sam mines. Lead-zinc ores have come principally from the Chief, May Day, North Lily, Ridge & Valley, Tintic Standard, and Uncle Sam mines. During World War II, below water level operations in the Chief mine contributed much needed zinc, and operations at still lower levels are now in progress.

From 1912 through 1947 the Tintic District produced 37,788 tons of zinc metal.

The Tintic Standard, once the world’s largest silver producer, ceased production soon after World War II when the mine encountered a large quantity of hot water on the 1400 level.

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