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Tintic Mining District History

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Mines and Railroads of the Tintic Mining District

(Based with significant changes, on Philip F. Notarianni's original from May 1977, submitted to accompany the nomination of the district as a National Historic Place.)

(Notably missing from the original work is any mention of military service by any Tintic residents. Research in online newspapers confirms that the men and women of Tintic did indeed serve their country, in all of the conflicts.)

(The same paper from 1977 served as the basis for Notarianni's 1982 book, "Faith Hope and Prosperity," and like the original work, coverage ends with the beginning of the Depression of the 1930s.)

(Edited in October 2025 by Don Strack for clarity and readability, to remove bias and correct minor errors, including spelling and railroad information, and errors found during later research.)

Preface

The Tintic Mining District's history revolves around hard rock mining, highlighting the experiences of prospectors, mining entrepreneurs, and workers, along with the commercial, social, and political activities typical of mining communities. In this vein the role of the physical environment must occupy a place of prominence in such history. The physical environment (buildings and structures), especially those that remain, aid in the documentation of the Tintic District and furthermore forms a distinct link between the past and present. Residents of Tintic need only be reminded of these structures to enable them to recall incidents and activity of the past.

Eureka City, and its history, will receive significant emphasis since source materials are abundant. In addition, Eureka formed the economic and social center for the Tintic Mining District. In comparison to other cities and towns of Tintic, Eureka still contains much of a physical nature that existed in the past and, contrary to widespread belief, is not dead, but living. The City of Eureka and its immediate surroundings form a type of "living museum." Examples of the surface plants of various mining enterprises (especially gallows frames or head frames); commercial, social, and public buildings; and homes of pioneer miners, merchants, miners, superintendents, and mining entrepreneurs all exist in Eureka, forming an incredible view of the past--one that mere written history alone cannot capture. It is in this light that the following history is written and that Tintic is chosen as the site for a National Historic District nomination.

In setting a backdrop for the history of the Tintic Mining District it becomes essential to place Tintic into the broader context of hard rock mining in the United States, and mining in Utah. Therefore, a brief discussion of these two topics will aid in placing Tintic in a proper historical perspective.

The role of mining in the West has been elucidated in various works and studies. Whether viewed in the critical context of a "frontier" framework or in an economic or technological sense, mining has played a significant role in the history of the United States. The lure of obtaining easily acquired wealth has in fact formed a significant impetus for much of the exploration and settlement of all North America.

The first mining boom in America occurred in the lead mining region of the upper Mississippi valley in the vicinity of Galena, Illinois. Colonial charters had provided for retainment of a certain percentage of all metals for the crown; thus, establishing a precedent. The Land Ordinance of 1785 reserved one-third of all gold, silver, copper, and lead found on lands in the public domain. In 1807 Congress implemented legislation to establish this policy in Missouri and the Old Northwest but reduced the governmental share to one-tenth. Such a policy failed because of conflicts with established mining practices and the private ownership of mineral lands. In the Galena district, however, reservation and taxation by the Federal government were popular because there was no conflict with established traditions. Consequently, in the 1820s, with the clearing of Indian titles to the region, old Missouri miners were in the forefront of the rush to the upper Mississippi mines, and these miners accepted the paternalistic policies of Federal control.

During the 1830s the public mining system fell into disuse, and pressure from the miners led to the implementation of the leasing system for a brief period in the 1840s and caused its extension into the Lake Superior copper region and the lead mines of Arkansas. In 1846 Congress terminated this type of mineral land policy. Earlier in the 1820s gold had been discovered on the Cherokee lands of northeast Georgia. This discovery diverted attention to the southeast where miners, working placers and a few veins in Georgia and North Carolina, would acquire techniques that would be utilized in the West.

The most dramatic mining rush commenced with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on the American river in California in January 1848. The onrush of miners permeated the California boundary, obtaining gold from simple placer operations. "Cradlers" and "sluice boxes" were utilized to capture gold dust and nuggets. Such operations could be performed by individuals or small groups because they required neither heavy capital outlay nor experience.

By the mid 1850s the day of the individual miner seemed doomed because of the growing exhaustion of "surface finds." Gold remained, but it was locked into lodes or veins buried deep below the earth. Extraction methods here required enormous amounts of capital, as well as more complicated mining techniques and mills. Mining continued in California, but eastern capitalists provided the funds, while machines carried on the work.

Miners sought new discoveries, consequently in the late 1850s to 1880s areas were opened in all the West, from the Pacific to the Rocky Mountains and from the mountains of British Columbia to the valley of the Gila River.

The Comstock lode of 1859 in Nevada, as well as mines in Colorado, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, and later Utah beckoned miners to gather their wealth. This was early mining in the West. As in California, placer operations gave way to more sophisticated mining techniques, and mining of other metals (silver, lead, and later copper) solidly established mining as a primary industry in the life of the West.

The history of mining in Utah has received little attention in comparison to other historical topics; yet the industry has been recognized as having provided a major foundation upon which the economy of Utah has been built. (Elroy Nelson, "Industry: A Foundation of Utah's Economy," Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume XXI (Summer, 1963), page179. Also, see Elroy Nelson, Utah's Economic Patterns (Salt Lake City: University of-Utah, 1956), page 83.]

Mining provides many essential raw materials utilized in agriculture, industry, communication, transportation, and in basic needs of the ordinary household. As Leonard Arrington has pointed out, Utah possesses a rich endowment of mineral resources and has made and continues to make major contributions to the nation. In its history, Utah contained the largest open-pit mine in the world, provided some one-third of the demands for copper of the country at war, and at various times led the nation in the production of lead, silver, zinc, copper, gold, and uranium, in addition to several minor minerals. (Leonard J. Arrington, "Abundance from the Earth: The Beginnings of Commercial Mining in Utah," Utah Historical Quarterly, XXXI (Summer, 1963), page 192-219.)

The beginnings and development of mining for the precious metals in Utah fits into the general pattern of Western mining, although its effective beginning is dated in the year 1863. Events germane to this beginning have received significant attention elsewhere; suffice it to say that the similarity to other mining experiences is observed in the general development of placer operations, worked by individuals or groups, to more intense and complicated mining procedures performed by corporations and large outlays of capital.

Furthermore, Utah, as did other Western states, was affected by the California experience, as well as mining developments in other states. For example, laws that were developed to govern Utah's first mining district, the West Mountain Quartz Mining District (encompassing the entire Oquirrh Range), were patterned after those of California; and mining techniques, such as the square set method of mine timbering, developed in the Comstock Lode region by Philip Deidesheimer, became essential in Utah mining activity.

(The square set timbering example points to the fact that mining in the United States was influenced by foreign developments. Deidesheimer was educated at the Freiburg School of Mines.)

Impetus to commercial mining in Utah began effectively after the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869. However, other factors of import included the improved technology in mining and smelting achieved in other states, territories, and parts of the world; the financial interest exhibited in Utah mining by eastern and English investors and entrepreneurs; and the availability of labor, as well as a productive agricultural setting whereby local Mormons provided the industry with necessary supplies and services in building railroads, establishing new supply centers, and teams for working mines. (Arrington, Abundance from the Earth, pages 205-206. Also, Clark C. Spence, British Investments, and the American Mining Frontier, 1860-1901 (Ithaca, New York: 1958))

Salt Lake City became a mining center of the West and should be recognized as such. The city was a center for mine, mill, and smelting supplies or machinery, servicing Utah and Nevada as well as districts of Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Colorado. In addition, Salt Lake in the 1890s was becoming preeminent as a city of elegant homes; such homes were built thirteen with money derived from Utah mines and dividend-paying companies. (Salt Lake Mining Review, April 29, 1889; May 30, 1899)

The existence of the Salt Lake Mining Exchange and the fact that numerous mining companies and concerns housed their headquarters in the city help to substantiate this assertion.

Within the context of Utah mining, the Tintic Mining District, located some seventy miles southwest of Salt Lake City in Juab and Utah counties, stands as an important block in the structure. Founded in 1869, the district became the leading mining center in the state in the value of output ($5,000,000) by 1899 and led in production at various years afterward. (Waldemar Lindgren and G. F. Loughlin, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Tintic Mining District, Utah (Washington, 1919), page 106.)

(The historical review in this publication was written by V. C. Heikes and remains a good introduction to the early years of Tintic.]

Tintic forms a microcosm of mining as it developed in the West. Operations began as placer and surface efforts, later evolving into numerous large endeavors backed by eastern and mid-western financial capital, as well as local Utah entrepreneurs. Tintic did not experience the "rush" of a California or a Comstock Lode, which perhaps aids in understanding why her history has been sorely neglected; however, Tintic still exists, albeit a mere shadow of yesterday, yet she has not passed into the death chamber of a "Ghost Town."

Mining remains significant in Tintic, consequently the optimism of a "re-birth" persists among the area's approximate eight hundred residents.

Tintic's beginnings were characterized by small individual efforts, later developing into large scale operations. Accompanying initial mining was the growth of settlements, primarily centers of settlement, or camps, such as Diamond, Silver City, Mammoth, Eureka, and the area known as West Tintic. Within this early context, mining or milling techniques, communication, and primarily transportation were the principal aspects or factors affecting this nascent industry.

Easily accessible ores began to wane by the 1880s, and in the 1890s low grade ores became profitable due to technological innovations and transportation advancements. In addition, large corporate interests, with ample financial backing, became involved in the mining for ores locked deep under the earth. Tintic, while still but twenty or twenty-five years old, entered a stage of "rejuvenation" during the 1890s and early 1900s--it came of age. Large physical plants burgeoned, with Eureka City heading to the forefront as the district's center.

A general look at the towns and life of Tintic offers good insight into the character of a mining district. Such insight is tied to an understanding of how a camp, town, or city developed; its physical layout; commercial, social, and political life; as well as the way in which these camps intermingled. In this light Eureka became a regional center, worthy of a chronological and in-depth look.

The physical environment in Tintic affords the opportunity to visually comprehend mining life. This environment will form a main thread through which the fabric of Tintic history is woven--the link between past and present.

The Tintic Mining District lies on the western and eastern slopes of the middle portion of the East Tintic Mountains, which includes portions of Juab and Utah counties. The East Tintic Mountains form one of the basin ranges of Utah, having the north-south trend that is characteristic of these ranges and whose origin has been attributed to block faulting. They are aligned with the Oquirrh Range to the north, and merge on the south with the Canyon Range and the Gilson Mountains. The East Tintic range is bordered on the west by the Tintic and Rush Valleys, and on the east by Dog Valley, Goshen Valley, and Cedar Valley. (Lindgren and Loughlin, Geology and Ore Deposits, page 15, see apes 77-90 for discussion of faulting. Hal T. Morris, "General Geology of the East Tintic Mountains, Utah," in Guidebook to the Geology of Utah, No. 12, Geology of the East Tintic Mountains and Ore Deposits of the Tintic Mining Districts (Salt Lake City: 1957))

Gold, silver, lead, and copper were the primary minerals of the region. Zonal descriptions of mineralization, including specific mines found in each zone, will facilitate the reader's understanding of geographical location. The Eureka Zone included the Centennial-Eureka, Eureka Hill, Bullion-Beck, Gemini, and Ridge and Valley mine on the north. In the Mammoth Zone were found the Mammoth, Grand Central, Victoria, Eagle and Blue Bell, and the Chief Consolidated to the north. On Godiva-Sioux Mountain were located the North Star, Carisa, Spy, Utah, Uncle Sam, Yankee, May Day, Apex, and the Godiva on the north. Finally, the Iron Blossom Zone consisted of the Dragon, Black Dragon, Governor, Iron Blossoms Numbers 1, 2, 3, Sioux, Colorado Numbers 1 and 2, and to the north the Beck Tunnel (east Tintic). (Eureka Reporter, February 15, 1918)

Reports of the early inhabitants of the Tintic area abound with speculation concerning the existence of Spanish mining activity. One account maintains that after the first big mining strikes in Tintic, roving prospectors unearthed abandoned Spanish mines, one of which was less than ten miles from Eureka. Spaniards (many released criminals) had been there in search of gold and silver for the Spanish crown. Such "lost Spanish mines" bore the circular paths reminiscent of the Spanish arrastra, a stone structure for grinding ore utilizing a method of dragging heavy stones on a large circular stone bed, propelled using mules.(Beth Kay Harris, The Towns of Tintic (Denver, 1961), page 15; Otis E. Young, Jr., Western Mining (Norman: 1970), pages 69-71.)

A lack of source material precludes any definitive study of Spanish mining in the Tintic area, but local folk tales exist which perpetrate the belief that such mines did in fact exist.

Tintic Name

Indian activity in the area is of significance, especially since the district bears the name of a Ute chief -- Tintic. In the 1850s white intrusions into the Indian lands occupied by Tintic, led to armed resistance by the native inhabitants. Indians were primarily resisting the use of their lands by ranchers. Tintic's style of fighting was one of a series of "running raids," which had characterized the Ute's hunting procedures and their own inter-tribal conflict. They were not established as a "clandestine" or "overt" method of decimating the white man.

In 1856 there existed what is commonly known as the Tintic War. No more than a mere skirmish or series of skirmishes, the war accounted for only five to six dead; and the method of fighting employed by Tintic was the raid system. The "war" eventually petered out with no formal treaty signed; and actual accounts of the events can be found elsewhere. (Deseret News, February 27, 1856, and March 5, 1856; Peter Gottfredson, Indian Depredations in Utah, second edition (Salt Lake City, 1969), pages 100-107; Eureka Reporter, October 25, 1963.)

(Insights into the "raiding system" of the Utes and the Tintic War were provided the writer by Ms. Katherine MacKay, American West Center, University of Utah, March 31, 1977.]

In any event, in the March 5, 1856, edition of the Deseret News it was reported that, "Tintick [sic], head chief of the disaffected band, and who was wounded in the skirmish near the south fort in Cedar County, is reported dead." (Deseret News, March 5, 1856.)

(Later research found that Tintic was still alive in October 1856: "Tintic is poor and alone, but still disaffected and threatening, and has gone to Uinta valley. Kind treatment seems to be wasted upon his savage disposition, and he is probably too old and hardened to be induced to lay aside his blood-thirsty feelings." -- Deseret News, October 29, 1856)

(Tintic was reported as dying in April 1859: "Tintic the notorious Ute chief died on the morning of the 15th inst. The Indians had a big pow-wow on the occasion and killed eight horses to accompany him to the world of spirits. The citizens of this Territory who have been acquainted with his history will not much deplore his death." -- Deseret News, April 6, 1959; this being a letter from Manti, in this case "inst." being the previous month, meaning March 15, 1859.)

Earlier, in February 1856, T. S. Johnson, a U. S. Deputy Marshall came to Provo in pursuit of Indians. The expedition was one in which Johnson and others crossed the ice on Utah Lake (to the point where Tintic's band had killed two herders, Henry Moran, and William Carson) and marched up to a canyon that led to a valley. It was during this expedition that the above valley was named "Tintic Valley." (Gottfredson, Indian Depredations, pages 105-106.)

The name prevailed and in later years "Tintic" also became the name of one of Utah's earliest mining districts. Accounts of the beginnings of the district are varied; suffice it to say that a piece of "float" (ore brought to the surface) was found in the area between Silver City and Diamond by George Rust.

(See accounts in the following: Harris, Towns of Tintic, pages 25-27. Alice P. McCune, History of Juab County (Springville, Utah, 1947), page 171. S. H. Goodwin, Freemasonry in Utah, Educational Bulletin No. 10 (October 1933), page 2.; and The Salt Lake Mining Review, (Salt Lake City), September 15, 1899, page 5.]

First Discovery

The first discovery of minerals in the Tintic region was the Sunbeam claim, in a gulch east of what later became Silver City. Illuminated by beams from the sun, the outcropping of ore led to the naming of the claim the Sunbeam. Those involved in the organization of the Tintic Mining District on December 13, 1869, were Joseph Hyde (President), W. J. Harris, Moroni Billingsley, E. M. Peck, Lewes R. Perry, S. W. Worsley, Sterlin Colton, S. B. Moore, P. M. Wintz, S. J. Whitney, and Rollin Roberts.

The following is an excerpt from the formal papers of organization:

"We the undersigned hereby organize the Territory lying within the following described boundaries. Commencing at a point six miles northwest from the south end of the Discovery claim known as the Sunbeam, thence East ten miles, thence West ten miles, thence north fifteen miles to point of beginning.

"To be known as Tintic Mining District and to be governed by the following laws hereafter specified." (Papers at Juab County Recorder's office, Nephi, Utah. See also The Eureka Reporter, October 25, 1963, page 10 for a printed copy. It was reported, through oral testimony, that all the mining district records housed at the mining district's Silver City office were destroyed by fire.)

Thus, the Sunbeam claim became the first claim in the district. The five prospectors who registered the claim were described in later histories as being Mormons. Brigham Young had admonished his followers to avoid prospecting for precious metals. It was only William Harris who took Young's advice. The others, especially Hyde, Moore and Peck, did not and remained active in the district for several years. (Leonard J. Arrington, The Great Basin Kingdom, (Lincoln, 1958), pages 203-204, 241-243.)

(Arrington describes the Mormon reaction to mining. Arrington asserts that it was church opposition to outsiders infiltrating mining activity, rather than strict opposition to mining itself, that caused Mormon leadership to look unfavorably on mining in its preliminary stages of development. However, Mormon entrepreneurs would later be important in Tintic.)

Following the Sunbeam discovery events began to unfold that signaled the true beginnings of a mining district. The mining district being established was followed by an influx of prospectors and miners. In this wake of activity new properties were located and work commenced. On January 3, 1970, the Black Dragon, north of the Sunbeam, was discovered; and in February of the same year the Mammoth (February 26, 1870) and the Eureka Hill (February 28, 1870) properties were located and staked followed by numerous others. The camps of Diamond, Silver City, Eureka, and Mammoth quickly developed, servicing the needs of an expanding population. In addition, early smelters and mills were built, but a handicap to the full development of Tintic remained until 1891, the lack of adequate competitive transportation facilities. (V. C. Heikes, "History of Mining and Metallurgy in the Tintic District," in Lindgren and Loughlin, Geology and Ore Deposits, page 105; Harris, Towns of Tintic, pages 27-29; McCune, Juab County, page 171; Bessie Berry Toone, Nuggets from Mammoth (1966), page [2]; The Mining Review, September 15, 1899 (page 5, "Great is Eureka"); Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1880, page 7)

An initial result in the organization of the Tintic Mining District was to create an interest in the area. As mentioned, new properties opened after the Sunbeam claim, including the Black Dragon, Mammoth, Eureka Hill, Armstrong, Shoebridge, Showers, and Swansea. Coupled with this growth was an influx of people followed by the creation of camps and settlements. This settlement process proceeded in a sequence. First, the area of igneous rock in the southern portion of Tintic, near Diamond and Silver City, near where the original Sunbeam claim was. Secondly, the area in Mammoth Basin, north of Silver City. Thirdly, further to the north, was the Eureka area, separated from Mammoth Basin by a high limestone ridge.

The town of Diamond came into existence because of the Sunbeam claim. The name diamond is attributed to the observation that the white crystals (quartz) in the area resembled diamonds. Little is known about Diamond in the early years, yet written reports whose authenticity cannot be documented reveal that Diamond's "boom" years were indeed in the 1870s with a population of "a thousand people." Further, the town, at its height, contained four stores, three hotels, five saloons, one post office, a Mormon church, and a Presbyterian or Methodist church. From 1875 to about 1890 homes disappeared from the site, many were moved to the growing towns of Eureka and Mammoth. The town dwindled but did not die. (McCune, Juab County, pages 233-235.)

Silver City, located at the mouth of Dragon Canyon, also came about as a direct result of the Sunbeam discovery. With Diamond to the south and Mammoth on the north, Silver City quickly became the early center of Tintic, largely because the town contained the telegraph, express, or recorder's offices for the entire district. S. B. Moore was the first recorder of the Tintic district, with N. P. Lake as his deputy. A. G. Sutherland succeeded Moore, and in July 1879, C. H. Blanchard became recorder. A mail and stage line serviced Silver City and the other camps, via Goshen, down Silver Pass Road through Ruby Hollow and on to Silver City, then Diamond and Mammoth. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1880, page 7; H. W. B. Kanter, A Hand Book on the Mines, Miners, and Minerals of Utah (Salt Lake City, 1896), page 302; McCune, Juab County, page 227.)

In the 1880s the city would obtain rail transportation, which would increase the mineral output from nearby mines. Like Diamond, Silver City would enjoy a later period of boom. The early life of Silver City was described as: "A billiard saloon, blacksmith shop, grog hole, some tents, several drunks, a free fight, water some miles off, a hole down 90 feet hunting a spring without success, and any number of rich or imaginary rich lodes in the neighborhood. The owners are all poor and poor men work for them. By next spring, the poor will be poorer." (Lambert Florin, Ghost Town Album (Seattle, 1962), page 72, quoted from I. E. Diehl's unpublished manuscript on the Tintic Mining District.)

Mammoth

A group of claims were staked in 1870 that later became part of the Mammoth mine. Sources indicate that the original Mammoth claim was filed February 26, 1870, by Thomas G. Wimmer, William D. Wimmer, Robert Wimmer, Joseph W. Wright, John W. Moore, Sr., James J. Perry, W. S. Pace, J. S. Pace, George Patten, Charles Brewerton, George Bailey, Dave Sabin, and David D. Tanner. In March 1870, a claim was also filed by Thomas Jenkins, Heber P. Kimball, and George and Charles Crismon. It was George Crismon who began work on the ground, with log and stone cabins following the increased activity. (McCune, Juab County, page 221; Toone, Nuggets from Mammoth, page 2.)

The Crismon-Mammoth mine very soon fell into the possession of Samuel and William McIntyre in 1873, through a trade of Texas cattle for Crismon's interest. Under McIntyre control the Mammoth Mine prospered. (Toone, Nuggets, page 14; McCune, Juab County, page 217; Eureka Reporter, October 25, 1963, pages 14-15; Florin, Ghost Town, page 71; Most accounts of Mammoth make mention of the cattle trade.)

In the 1870s the British had invested in Utah mining ventures. One such venture was the Mammoth Copperopolis (later the Ajax) southwest of the Crismon-Mammoth. This mine had a history of many names, many owners, and much litigation; but suffice it to say its early history is tied closely to the entire realm of British investment. The financial Panic of 1873, a nationwide crisis, caused a depressed metals market. As a result, the Mammoth Copperopolis of Utah, Ltd., sustained a loss of $14,000 attributable to falling copper prices. Efforts followed with an attempt to raise additional capital on debentures by selling bonds in the London Mining Review. $84,000 was raised and sent for improvements, which included the erection of a fifteen-stamp mill (in Roseville, six miles from the mine). These efforts failed, and in the first labor strike in Tintic the miners, about fifty in number, struck on January 12, 1874, for their back-pay by taking control of the mine. This move coincided with the attachment by creditors of the mine of all movable property, as evidenced by the Wells Fargo & Company action. (Spence, British Investments, pages 223-224. See especially, The Salt Lake Herald, January 15, 1874, pages 2-3; and January 16, 1874, page 3.)

(In the latter issue of the Herald, S. W. Valentine, mine manager, described the mine. He reported a fifteen-stamp mill and two furnaces; a mine comprised of one tunnel 304 feet, one tunnel 300 feet, four shafts from 100 to 175 feet each, four winces, eight levels, trams, chutes, etc., necessary for operation. Since 1871, costs for development, the mill, and necessary housing were put at $16,000. The representatives at the miners' meeting were James Truaro, chairman, and R. Gillespie as secretary. The existence of a formal labor union did not appear evident.)

British investors, who had received the Copperopolis from a patent owned by one Noah Armstrong in 1870, were hereafter reluctant to back such interests, and refused to grant aid sought by the Crismons; thus, forcing them to sell to the McIntyre brothers. Miners and families began moving into the area in the 1870s. These early settlers were German, Irish, Welch, and Cornish immigrants, seeking work in mining. Thus, the history of the town of Mammoth was launched. (Toone, Nuggets, pages 2, 15.)

Homes were erected near the mines, and water was transported from Eureka, selling for 10 cents per gallon. Later (1880s) a wooden pipeline was constructed from Jenny Lind Spring, and water was collected in buckets at the end of the pipeline.

Eureka's beginnings stem from the staking of the Eureka Hill mine in 1870. As settlers, prospectors, and miners flowed into the area, Eureka gulch became the area of settlement. W. C. Robbins, a teamster, had hauled water in 1870 from Mammoth through Homansville and around the west side of Utah Lake, for the Beesley Brothers, owners of four mule teams. Robbins recalled that he later hauled for the Eureka Hill and stated that at the time, during the 1870s, but a few cabins existed in Eureka Gulch. Teamsters pitched tents near the present Eureka business district. (Eureka Reporter, August 29, 1929, page 2.)

(In this same article Robbins asserted that Edward Stewart, then living in Provo, should be credited with the first frame cabin at Silver City.)

It was the influx of experienced miners that enabled Tintic's mines to be developed. Methods garnered in other mining camps and workings eventually found their way to Tintic. John Beck, a key personality in the annals of Tintic history, came to Eureka in 1871 after having filed and sold a claim staked near Diamond. Beck staked some claims at the bottom of the gulch below the Eureka Hill. As lore has it, Beck, a German, was quickly labeled the "Crazy Dutchman" and "Old Beck of Dutchtown" (the name given to that part of Eureka by the Bullion Beck Mine on the south side of the highway) because of local skepticism about his location for a mine. The Bullion Beck mine, as it was named, became a rich producer. Such Horatio Alger tales, from rags to riches (and as in the case of Beck back to rags) permeate the history of the mining West. Quick wealth was a lure to many a miner. It was John Beck who rose to high prominence, epitomized this dream and its ultimate attainment." (McCune, Juab County, pages 190-192.)

(This provides an account of Beck's "rags to riches to rags" life. See also Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals, pages 191-194; and Harris, Towns of Tintic, pages 38-41.)

Together with the Eureka Hill and Bullion Beck, the Blue Rock (later the Centennial Eureka) and the Gemini (old Keystone), all producers by 1886, were labeled the "Big Four" and ensured Eureka's growth. The Blue Rock, consisting of several claims in the Eureka Hill area, was located in 1872 and sold by Packard. The Centennial Eureka company began in September 1884, when J. D. Kendall commenced work. The Gemini was a consolidation of the Keystone and other claims, north of the Eureka Hill on the same ore channel, having incorporated in the 1880s. In addition, east of Eureka was an area where the Godiva, Uncle Sam, Humbug, Utah, and Sioux-mines would develop. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1891, page 2; The Salt Lake Mining Review, April 29, 1899, page 1; Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1888, page 6; and Heikes, History of Mining, page 106.)

Even at the early date of the development of Tintic many kinds of ores were mined "including principally the carbonate and sulphide of copper and siliceous gold and silver ores containing small amounts of copper." Such types of ore led to numerous complications in their sale and treatments. As previously discussed, the richest ore was shipped out of the district; however, the lower-grade ores were treated at smelters and mills in the area with "indifferent success."

A small mill and smelter were erected in this early period at Homansville. The smelter was constructed by the Utah Smelting and Milling Company and called the Clarkson. Operations began on June 17, 1871, with a reported 172 tons of silver-lead bullion produced in 60 days. The ores smelted in the Homansville furnaces came from the Scotia mine, the Swansea (near Silver City), and the Eureka Hill. The plant was closed and moved in 1872. A smelter at Diamond was erected in 1871 and ran on ores from the Showers Mine and other ores obtained by purchase. At Goshen, two Leetham furnaces were erected in the fall of 1874, running for six months. The furnaces proved to be unsuccessful, consequently they were dismantled. (Heikes, History of Mining, page 114. The sections on smelters and mills are drawn primarily from this excellent source.)

In 1873 the Mammoth-Copperopolis, as mentioned, built their smelter at Roseville with the explicit purpose being the manufacturing of black copper from copper ores out of the mine. Work ceased during the Panic of 1873 after 126 tons of black copper had been shipped. Two furnaces made of iron, with boiler-plate water jackets, and a lining of Utah fire bricks comprised the plant. Near the smelter was the mill, supplying power. In 39 1874 the furnaces were leased to the Crismon Brothers. (Heikes, History of Mining, page 114)

Early in 1882 the Crismon-Mammoth erected two matting furnaces. The number was increased to eight (after the 27-stamp mill was closed), then to twenty-two by 1884. The death of the principal English syndicate that had purchased the property brought the work to a halt. In 1886 several calcining furnaces were reported working on Mammoth ore. The matte was shipped to Argo, Colorado; however, in September of 1886 these furnaces were considered a failure. (Heikes, History of Mining, page 114)

Milling occurred simultaneously with smelting efforts. Again, a mill was built at Homansville for milling Eureka Hill ore, utilizing the amalgamation process (amalgamation with mercury). This plant was equipped with a crusher and twelve revolving stamps. It was removed to a site eight miles south of the Mammoth mine, forming a part of the 27-stamp mill built and enlarged between 1876 and 1879 to treat Crismon-Mammoth ores. (Heikes, History of Mining, page 115)

A second mill erected at Homansville was the Wyoming, constructed by the Wyoming Mining and Milling Company, by Ohio interests. It was built in 1873 to process ore from the old Wyoming mine (eventually part of the Eagle and Blue Bell mine). The Wyoming mine failed, but the company purchased other mines and utilized the mill. It was equipped with ten stamps, four amalgamating pans, and "the first Stetefeldt chloridizing roaster furnace erected in Utah." In the spring of 1874 Col. Joseph M. Locke took charge of the mill, purchasing it in 1877. The mill was later secured by the Tintic Mining and Milling Company in 1880, and in 1881 commenced on custom ores. It treated ore from the Northern Spy in 1882, operating regularly to 1886. (Heikes, History of Mining, page 115; Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1880)

(The failure of the Wyoming mine could be explained by the report that the Ohio concern bought a "salted" mine; that is, one in which high grade ore was planted to deceive the prospective buyer. In this case the culprit appears to have been a saloon keeper named Jack Gillin. See Harris, Towns of Tintic, page 72)

Earlier, in 1873, the Tintic Company erected a plant near Diamond, known as the Miller Mill, with ten stamps, wet crushing for custom work. The engine used was the one that John C. Fremont brought overland in 1848 to use in the sawmill at the "Mariposa Grove of big trees." (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1880, page 7)

Also, in 1873 the Shoebridge mill was built approximately six miles from Diamond for custom work. In February 1877, the company failed; and in 1878 it passed to S. P. Ely, and became known as the Ely mill, under the supervision of Capt. G. D. Johnson. Ely performed custom work, utilizing a process to crush dry, roast with salt, treat by the Hunt and Douglas method for silver and copper, then amalgamate in pans for gold. (Heikes, History of Mining, page 115, 116; Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1880)

The Mammoth-Copperopolis constructed their mill in 1873, either at the same time or shortly before their smelter was built. Copper, present in the ore in large quantity, impeded operations. A 27-stamp mill was built eight miles south of the Crismon-Mammoth mine between 1876 and 1879 and crushed wet until 1880. It closed in 1882. (Heikes, History of Mining, page 115, 116; Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1880)

Railroads

Central to the overall development of Tintic was improved transportation facilities. Railroad development had a significant impact upon the output of Tintic since the district's key product was first class shipping ore. Production increased as railroad facilities improved; of course, production was also dependent upon mineral prices and the general economy.

The first attempt at railroad construction into the Tintic District was a joint venture by a group of Mormon and gentile businessmen who chartered the Lehi and Tintic Railroad Company on October 28, 1872. Proposed to be routed west about fifty miles into Tintic valley from a junction with the Utah Southern at Lehi, the venture failed in the financially disastrous years of 1872-1873. (Reeder, Utah's Railroads, page 360)

On May 30, 1881, the Union Pacific created and incorporated the Salt Lake and Western Railway Company, and among its goals was the construction of a line into the Tintic Valley. The route as planned would follow the old Pony Express trail through Fairfield and Camp Floyd, south to Vernon, then Ironton, and further south before turning west to Cherry Creek, and finally on to Nevada. An amendment to the papers of incorporation was added which allowed for a branch line to be built from Ironton to Eureka and Silver City. Work commenced in 1881. The main line to the town of Tintic, south of the main district, was finished in June 1882 with a branch line from Ironton to Silver City completed by the end of July 1882. (Reeder, Utah's Railroads, pages 360-363.)

(It is interesting to note that Jay Gould, the eastern financier, had stock in the Utah Southern Railroad Extension. The Utah Southern and Utah Southern Extension consolidated under Union Pacific control as part of the Utah Central Railway in July 1881.)

(According to V. C. Heikes in his 1919 history of the Tintic Mining District, page 105, "In 1878 the Utah Southern extended its operation into Ironton, approximately five miles southwest of Eureka." Heikes confused Ironton with Stockton, forty-nine miles to the north, by way of the Tintic and Rush valleys. It was the Utah Western, a narrow-gauge railroad, which reached Stockton in 1877, matching Heikes' date of 1878. Using this 1878 date, Heikes then wrote, "The result of the Utah Southern [sic] reaching York [sic], being a marked increase in output for 1879, nearly doubling the previous year's production."

(Heikes' mention of Ironton and York, then begs a note about the Utah Southern terminal at York, with the Utah Southern being completed to York in February 1875, where the terminal remained for four years. York was sixteen miles straight-line distance east from Silver City, with two mountain ranges between the two. It is highly likely that Santaquin became a loading point for ore wagons from the Tintic mines, after Utah Southern was completed to Santaquin in early February 1875. Construction of Utah Southern did not restart at York until March 1879, missing Heikes' date of 1878. Silver City to Santaquin was twenty-three miles by team and wagon, whereas Silver City north to the narrow-gauge railroad at Stockton was forty-nine miles.)

With the completion of railroad service to Silver City in July 1882, branch lines were extended into Mammoth (Robinson) shortly after the Silver City spur and Eureka in 1889. In 1890 the Salt Lake & Western consolidated with Utah & Nevada, Utah & Northern under general management of the Oregon Short Line, a subsidiary operation of the Union Pacific. In July 1903, the San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad (known later as the Los Angeles and Salt Lake, also a Union Pacific subsidiary) assumed control of the Oregon Short Line branch from Salt Lake to Eureka, as part of its through line to Los Angeles, California. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1890)

In 1891 the Denver and Rio Grande (then the Rio Grande Western) entered Tintic with a branch line from Springville through Santaquin, Goshen, to Eureka and ten around to Mammoth and Silver City. The road was built by the Tintic Range Railway Company and was a subsidiary of Rio Grande. An agreement was signed in 1892 allowing Rio Grande to lease and operate the line. The entrance of the Rio Grande was heralded as one of the most notable events of the year, since Tintic then had the advantage of two lines. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1892, page 24; Heikes, History of Mining, page 106. For the agreement between the Tintic Range Railway and Rio Grande see LeMassena, "Rio Grande to the Pacific," page256)

"Tintic Range Railway. -- Silver mining near Eureka, Utah, interested the Rio Grande Western sufficiently for it to organize the Tintic Range Railway (incorporated in Utah, May 1891) for the purpose of building and owning track from Springville, Utah, to the mining area, then leasing it to the RGW which would operate it with their own locomotives. The line was built in 1891; extensions reached Mammoth in 1892 and Silver City in 1893. Several miles of long spurs were removed in 1896; the silver panic having forced the closure of mines. The Tintic Range was absorbed into the D&RG's system in 1908." (Robert LeMassena, "Rio Grande...to the Pacific!," 1974, page 256)

1880s Growth

To this point, the effort has been to examine primarily the years from 1869 through to 1890. These were the formative years of Tintic. Mining in the 1890s and after sought to strike below the pyritic surface; thus, opening "new" workings in "old" grounds. Prior to the 1890s and especially in the 1880s the mining operations and camps in Tintic were developing in a steady manner; the number of mines growing rapidly. In addition to the main mines previously mentioned, by 1881 the listing included the following, from Western Mining Gazetteer, January 8, 1881:

On Eureka Hill--the Frederick Charles, Iron Queen, Black Stallion, Merrimac, Monitor, Lucky Boy, Josephine, La Bonte, Corisa, Fairview, Tiger, Argenta, Little Maud, Brazie, King, Cincinnati Mines, Celestia, Swansea, Black Dragon, and North Star.

On Galena Hill--the Lucky, Chairplain, Whistler, Park, Chicago, Sidney, King James, Wild Mormon, June Rose, Lady Aspinwall, Nelly Bly, Lady Grey, and Golden Bell.

On Gold Hill--the Undine, Blucher, Pacific, Sunbeam, Mary Bell, Wildwood, Cherokee, Tesora, Cornucopia, Senator, Golden, Treasure, Julian Lane, Bismuth Chief, Scorpion, Frontenac, Niagara, Shoebridge, Oh No, Norwegian, Lily of the West, Allie Townsend, George Washington, Joe Bowers, Morning Glory, Star of India, Butcher Boy, Wild Rose, J. D. Cameron, Prince Charles, May Cameron, Duke of Athole, Rose of Arthurstone, Hammarskoild, Jefferson, Lily of Kinlock, Rising Sun, Setting Sun, Southern Belle, Rose of Tintic, and Lily of the Valley.

Throughout the 1880s the Tintic camps were evolving, assuming some of the aspects that would characterize their later existence. As of 1880 the business establishments were chronicled as follows, taken from Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1880, page 7; Toone, Nuggets, page 3; Harris, Towns of Tintic, pages 72-73:

Eureka -- William Hatfield, general merchandise; Williams and Cusick, general merchandise, saloons, and billiards; and W. W. Mathews, saloon and billiards.

Silver City -- M. G. Cushman, general merchandise, and liquors; John Oaks, store, and saloon with billiards; and Col. A. Ethier, liquors and cigars.

Diamond -- R. T. Course, general merchandise, and liquors; and R. A. Hills, general merchandise.

Mammoth (primarily upper town) -- B. R. LeDue (or B. T. Le Duc), saloon (in the 1870s); Couch and Elmer, saloon; and in 1881 Reid and Elmer, saloon.[53]

One early evaluation of Tintic from 1881 stated:

"Quite a number of these mines [from the above listing] are now and for some time past, have been successfully worked by their owners, and Tintic is again attracting the attention of both the miner and the capitalist. I must not omit here to mention the exorbitant charges made by the Tintic mills on the custom ores brought to them by the miner. Opposition here is sadly needed; it must and will come." (Western Mining Gazetteer, January 8, 1881, page 2; article by William Bredemeyer, Mining Engineer, and U. S. Surveyor)

Embedded in such a statement are evidence that the writer viewed as the harbingers of things to come. Another observation of the 1880s asserted, "Tintic is experiencing something like a resurrection." Again, in the light of historical hindsight, a correct assessment. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1885, page 10)

A temporary snag to this development appeared in about 1885 when litigation began between the Bullion Beck and Champion, and the Eureka Hill, over property rights. During 1886 mining activity was at a standstill; however, both operations made valuable use of this cessation in operations to remodel and do additional and valuable developmental work in their mines. At the Bullion Beck, the hoisting works were remodeled and new winzes machinery put in, as well as sinking and prospecting by drifts and winzes. Likewise, the Eureka Hill installed an entirely new hoisting engine and gallows frame (headframe), and other machinery that would allow the company to mine as deeply as needed. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1887)

Finally, in June 1888, the two enterprises arrived at a compromise. A newspaper report at the time indicated the effect of this accomplishment. "Since the compromise, the town of Eureka has taken on new life, and many new buildings have been erected for residence as well as business purposes." (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1889)

Meanwhile other area mining companies were upgrading their surface plants. The Centennial-Eureka, which had begun shipping in 1886, undertook its own improvements in 1888. Construction consisted of a shaft house (measuring 48 by 72), boarding house (20 by 60 feet), bunk house (20 by 30 feet), and tack house (16 by 30 feet). In addition, the shaft was sunk to a depth of 300 feet, and a one-mile pipeline was installed for water. Thirty-two miners were employed. New hoisting works were also completed at the Gemini (on the old Keystone property) in 1888. A shaft house (26 by 20 by 30 feet), engine house (22 by 53 feet), and boiler house (21 by 53 feet) were built, and all these buildings were attached together. Their double compartment shaft was down to 50 feet; forty men were employed. Tintic's iron mines, primarily the Dragon, continued to ship substantial amounts of fluxing ores to Utah smelters, as well as others out of state, including one in Montana. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1889)

(In 1888 John McChrystal was superintendent of the Gemini property and the Eureka Hill mine. The population of the Tintic district in 1888 was estimated at 2,500 to 3,000 people.)

Mining "to the depths" sparked a rebirth for Tintic in the 1890s. Mills were erected, production increased, yet the changing fortunes of the mining industry, that is, its nature of being subject to sudden economic downturns, caused the district to suffer agony as well as joy. Tintic's ability to rebound from adversity indeed made it come of age.

Following the compromise between the Bullion Beck and Eureka Hill mines, Tintic appeared again on the road to prosperity. In 1889 reports maintained that Eureka had experienced a "large" increase in population; and the addition there of numerous houses and several business establishments. Stimulus for this activity was attributed to the installation of a railroad spur, in September of 1889, from near Mammoth Hallow to Eureka; thus, proving to be a great convenience and aid in increasing business. The railroad had given "new life to mining about Eureka." (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1890. The report also noted that wood was fast disappearing and that coal would be the new fuel. Mines in Carbon County would eventually figure in the supplying of that coal.)

Significant also in the year 1889 was the acquisition of water by key mining enterprises. The Bullion Beck and Champion and Centennial-Eureka mining companies purchased the lower springs at Homansville. A pump and four-inch pipe were utilized to carry the water to the summit between Eureka and Homansville, approximately 1 1/2 miles. Two twenty-thousand-gallon tanks received the water at Eureka, with the Centennial-Eureka pumping their portion up to the mine. At Mammoth, a six-mile pipeline was put into tanks in the valley where a pump forced the water 2-1/2 miles further to the mine (1,100 feet higher). (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1890)

Ushering in a new decade, Tintic had in 1890, according to reports, made "greater progress" than ever before. Marked improvements were made in Eureka. The number of houses rose to over three hundred, with a "rush to the district." Among the more substantial improvements at Eureka during 1890 were the following: a two-story stone Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) Hall erected ($9,000); the building of a two-story brick block by McChrystal and Co. ($10,000); and of the Beauman building; additions to the Tomkins Eureka Hotel, and the Hatfield House; improvements at the Meyer's Hotel (Keystone) and the Anna Marks store; erection of the Pat Shea boarding house; and the establishment of a C.O.D. store, and the George Arthur Rice and Co. Bank. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1891)

Precipitating this uplift of the district was the successful operations of various mines. The Bullion Beck and Champion were forecasting the upsurge of activity by tearing down its old hoisting works and installing new equipment. The above report from January 1891 also stated:

"Over the shaft is the main building of the hoisting works. This is framed structure 40 x 119 feet, high enough to take in the gallows frame, one of the best and strongest in the country and 60 feet in height. There are no better framed timbers or larger ones than these in Utah."

(Included in the Bullion Beck and Champion surface plant at this time were two Frazer and Chalmers engines, each 500 horsepower; and "wide, flat steel wire ropes," used to raise and lower two cages. The shaft was double compartment.)

Other properties were either improving or developing. At the Mammoth, a brick assay office was completed. The old Tintic mill was being operated by Davis and Company, by working over the tailings of the mill and those from the Homansville mill (utilizing a method of roasting along with salt, then leaching in large tanks). A small force was at work at the "old" Copperopolis. Development work began at the Godiva, Snowflake (below the Eagle and Blue Bell, dating from 1888), and the Iron Blossom. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1891)

By 1892 the word about Tintic was "prosperity," activity burgeoned at an incredible pace. The reason is best expressed in the following excerpt about the district from the Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1892:

"Its growth has not been commensurate with its merits. It took years to find out that the rich surface deposits were not all that was good in the lodes. When these surface deposits were worked down to the pyrites, or "white iron," further sinking was stopped, and it has been the work of the past year or two to demonstrate that there is mineral in paying quantities and qualities below this iron stratum, and many old claims will soon become shippers."

Mining At Depth

Mining to the depths triggered the renewed interest in Tintic.

Eureka continued to build, fast becoming the district's center. One hundred fifty dwellings were added in 1891. They were "mostly of small size, but of much better and neater form than of former years." Juab County erected its courthouse in 1891 at a cost of $5,000. The Catholic Church built its school ($3,000), benevolent societies flourished. These facets of Tintic life will be taken up later. In addition, the Rio Grande Western branch line from Springville to Eureka and on around to Mammoth and Silver City signaled new in-roads in transportation. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1892)

Mammoth contained a population of approximately 300. Business concerns were listed in 1892, as J. T. Donahue and Company, hotel, general merchandise, and saloon; Max Friedersdorff, general merchandise; L. E. Riter and Company, general merchandise; Taylor and Allen, saloon; and J. M. Wheeler, saloon. George Arthur Rice erected a sampling mill at Mammoth switch in 1891 at a cost of $17,500. John A. Shettle followed suit, by purchasing the old Mammoth or Tintic mill from Davis and Company, and adding twenty-five stamps, doubled tank capacity, and new buildings. (Utah Gazetteer (Salt Lake City, 1892), page 122; Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1892, page 24; The Engineering and Mining Journal, October 3, 1891)

Old properties were being revitalized. The Swansea, Treasure, Northern Spy, Lucky, North Star, and the Diamond camp were among those. At the South Swansea, J. T. Croxall had started a shaft utilizing a windless and small bucket, the rude appliances of early mining. A horse whim was installed at the Sioux group, and the Tintic Tunnel Company began running a tunnel from the east side of Iron Canyon for the purpose of tapping various veins there, to a depth of 1,500 feet below the apex of the mountain. The Norway (adjoining the Colorado Chief) and Eureka Consolidated also entered the list of new properties with work having continued at the Gemini, Snowflake, Godiva, and Tetro. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1892)

The Mammoth, by 1891, had assumed much of its present physical character. Levels of operation included the upper level, the next being 140 feet lower, near the working level. The mine was tapped by a cross-cut tunnel which ran 425 feet in, to a point where a hoisting engine was in a large station cut out of solid rock, at what was labeled as the 300-Level. At the mouth of the tunnel, boilers and a furnace were located, as well as a newly installed compressor and housing structure. Steam power, saws, and additional equipment were supplied for the carpenters' shop. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1892)

New hoists and improved surface plants were erected in 1892 at the Centennial-Eureka, and the Gemini. Boarding and lodging houses, ore bins, and a frame housing unit for the hoisting machinery and gallows frame labeled "as fine and massive as any in Utah," were added at the Centennial-Eureka. A double cylinder engine powered the hoist. The reels were equipped with ample brakes and operated by Clawson clutches for the optimum in weight support. An insufficient hoist prompted the Gemini Company to sink a new shaft, northwest of the old Keystone shaft. A three-compartment shaft was put in, along with a three-elevation shaft house. The hoist was 110 by 36 feet, and 70 feet in height, with an engine house measuring 30 by 40 feet, and a boiler house 60 by 40 feet. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1893)

At Eureka, the McChrystal Company erected a new building at a cost of $3,000.00. This would eventually house the Tintic Mercantile store, later it was an Amoco gas station.

1893 Downturn

Prosperity appeared eternal in the years 1891 through early 1893; however, it proved fleeting as the economic downturns of 1893, coupled with labor strife, brought Tintic to her knees. The national Panic of 1893 and depression brought about the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 which had required the Federal Treasury to purchase 4-1/2 million ounces of silver per month. Accompanying this action, the silver metal market became most unstable; prices of silver fell. In Tintic this coincided with labor difficulties over the company boarding houses and stores. The result, a labor strike which became the most severe one in the district's history.

Spurred by declining lead and silver prices and encouraged by an apparent victory over labor by the Coeur d'Alene Mine Owners' Association, mine owners in the West launched an attack on wages and unions in the winter of 1892-1893. According to one historian, Utah mine owners led the attack. Owners at Bingham discharged all men on New Year's Day, 1893. In February, owners at Eureka and Mammoth joined the attack with a reported thousand men out of work. (Richard E. Lingenfelter, The Hardrock Miners: A History of the Mining Labor Movement in the American West, 1863-1893 (Berkeley, 1974), page 216)

It was the Bullion Beck and Champion Mining Company who initiated the action in Tintic. The mine was closed in early February, and two hundred men were out of work. The company offered to pay $2.50 per day until silver reached 95 cents an ounce, then after one month the $3.00 a day wage would be restored. The Eureka Miners' Union (established in about 1890) countered by proposing a $2.75 per day wage and $3.00 restored when silver was 90 cents an ounce. A compromise failed to materialize, thus, the strike (or at this point "lockout") was on, with both sides adamant regarding their respective positions. (Salt Lake Tribune, February 22, 1893; Lingenfelter, Hardrock Miners, page 194, places the Eureka and Mammoth unions at beginning in about 1890)

Various mine owners and union officials proved to be principals in the affairs and as such, deserve mention. Officers of the Bullion Beck were: Moses Thatcher, president; John Beck, vice-president; William B. Preston, treasurer; and the above with A. E. Hyde and George Q. Cannon formed the board of directors. A. E. Hyde was general manager and W. J. Beattie, secretary. As can be determined, the Eureka Miners' Union was represented by L. T. Jacobs, president, but most intently by John Duggan, secretary. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 7, 1893, page 5; and March 8, 1893)

(Comparing the names of the directors and officers of the Bullion Beck with other sources reveals that they were also prominent Mormon leaders; this factor would be of significance as the strife continued.)

Late in February the Eureka miners, represented by the union, attempted to break the impasse by proposing a wage scale based on a fixed quantity by weight of silver, the average price for a month be taken as a factor in arriving at wages per day--a sliding scale tied to silver prices. Apparently, Manager Hyde viewed this proposal as a signal that the union was about to give up the struggle. He declined the offer and looked to the utilization of replacement workers (strike breakers, or "scabs'). (Salt Lake Tribune, February 28, 1893, page 7; Lingenfelter, Hardrock Miners, page 217)

Entwined with the wage issue was the matter of the company boarding house and store. In an open letter to the Salt Lake Tribune the union maintained that near the end of March 1891, board at the house, run by A. E. Hyde and W. H. Smith, was increased from $26 per month to $1 per day with board of the "worst kind." Grievances were presented and heeded by the company; however, Hyde and Smith were able to have the store bills of Bullion-Beck employees collected through the company's office. The union further alleged that Hyde discharged several men, none of whom appeared on the store's ledgers. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 8, 1893)

On March 7th, the Bullion Beck started operations with about forty men, mostly replacement workers. Union men met the train at the mine and attempted by verbal means to dissuade the men brought in from commencing work. They were successful.

Three days later a group of women marched to the Beck mine in an unparalleled move, to parade their discontent at the opening of the mine. John Duggan reported the event as reminding one "of an old-time Welsh wedding procession." About forty ladies participated, under direction of Miss Annie Kelly, and as they reached the mine, the car dumper was warmly saluted by having his ears pulled and told what they thought of him. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 11, 1893; March 8, 1893)

While the above action was condemned by both management and union, it nevertheless typified public support for the miner's position.

Tensions were strained on both sides. In mid-March Deputy U. S. Marshals and special marshals were doing duty in Tintic at the request of the Beck people. Cries were heard of the partiality of these marshals, who supported the mine owners. The situation was labeled "most serious;" but nothing materialized. Dr. Charles W. Clark, acting mayor, asserted city authorities could handle the matter. Here lay a significant aspect of the affair. The Beck people sought to offset or neutralize local support for the miners by summoning federal marshals. Scrutiny of Eureka City Criminal Justice Dockets for 1893 reveals that no unusually high arrest rate occurred. In fact, for a mining town experiencing a strike the number of arrests for violence was surprisingly low. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 14, 1893; March 15, 1893; March 16, 1893; Eureka City Criminal Justice Docket, 1893)

(The Tintic Miner, the local newspaper, was pro-union. Eureka became a city November 8, 1892, and which will be discussed later.)

A second point of contention was the role of the Mormon church in the affair. Reports alleging church interference on behalf of the Beck mine, whose directors were Mormon, some in the hierarchy, ran rampant. The full extent of involvement by the Mormon church is difficult to assess. The existence at the Beck mine of farmers from northern Mormon farming communities adds credence to the possibility that the Beck directorate had made use of their church influence and affiliation in securing labor. On April 29, 1893, a Deseret News editorial flatly denied any church control by asserting: "The hand of the Church is not now manipulating and has not at any time manipulated the affairs of the Bullion-Beck or any other mine." Later, a Deseret Weekly editorial entitled, "Tintic Molly Maguires" intimated an anti-Irish posture since many of the striking miners were Irish. Editorials and letters, spouting charges and counter-charges abound on the issue; however, no definitive answers seem imminent at this point. (Lingenfelter, Hardrock Miners, page 217; Salt Lake Tribune, April 29, 1893; Deseret Evening News, April 29, 1893; Salt Lake Tribune, May 6, 1893; Deseret Weekly, June 17, 1893)

Meanwhile, quick tempers among strikers and replacement workers began to mount in March. Fears of a general melee on St. Patrick's Day led to increased patrols by the marshals, but no trouble transpired. (Deseret Evening News, March 15, 1893; Salt Lake Tribune, March 17, 1893; April 1, 1893; April 2, 1893; April 3, 1893)

Formation of a Grand Jury, impaneled to investigate an incident of two houses being dynamited, took place in June. No union man appeared on the Jury. It was the union's contention that the explosion was promulgated by the Beck people themselves, to create sympathy. By late June, the jury had indicted forty-two, but not for the dynamite affair. Riot charges were issued for May 10th and 20th incidents. Irish men and women were indicted. All pleaded not guilty. (Salt Lake Tribune, June 11, 1893; June 14, 1893; June 30, 1893, the names of those indicted are listed)

The labor troubles of 1893 appear to have dragged on, eventually petering out by the year's end. The Eureka Miners' Union suffered a stern defeat since it disappeared from the scene, only to reappear in 1902. The Eureka and Mammoth locals, however, had helped in the formation of the Western Federation of Miners in Butte, Montana, in May of 1893. Shortly after the strike John Duggan, W.F.M.'s first secretary-treasurer, died and was buried in the Eureka cemetery, depriving the union of its most ardent defender. (Lingenfelter, Hardrock Miners, pages 217, 220, and 223; Vernon H. Jensen, Heritage of Conflict: Labor Relations in the Nonferrous Metals Industry Up to 1930 (New York: 1968), pages 18, 259 (Jensen asserted that Eureka was "a haven for men driven from the Coeur d'Alenes"); Salt Lake Tribune, May 20, 1893; June 28, 1893; June 29, 1893; January 1, 1894)

The mines worked sporadically during the labor problems, but closed in June as the Panic of 1893 closed in starting in earnest in April. The Panic reached its bottom by July. Only the Eureka Hill, under Packard, continued to work, with the Mammoth re-opening in May with a small crew. However, by the year's end more mines had reopened.

Eureka's troubles in 1893 were not tied solely to labor strife. At the height of the Panic, a fire devastated the town's business district. On July 10, at 1:00 a.m. a fire broke out in a saloon and lodging house, owned by Minnie Lockwitz, located on North Main Street. The fire spread east and west on both sides of the thoroughfare. Total losses were estimated at $37,500; and those sharing in that loss included Ben Luce, F. L. Shriver, F. H. Fulbriede, Pat Shea, and Minnie Lockwitz (the only business fully insured). Dan Martin headed the volunteer fire crew who under the circumstances were credited with a valiant effort. A newspaper editorial summed it best by stating:

"It is a sad blow to Eureka, and it comes at a most unfortunate time. It is sure to inflict much suffering, in the present depressed condition of the mining industry."(Salt Lake Tribune, July 11, 1893, a complete list of losses was provided)

For the future, the result of this fire was the development of a more stringent fire code. In addition, after the event, structures on Eureka's main street were either constructed of stone or brick, or framed structures were clad with a metal steel sheeting. (see Eureka City Minute Book, Book I, 1893-1902, page 246)

(For a comparative look at Main Street structures in years before and after the fire, see the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Company, Maps for Eureka, 1890 and 1898.)

1894 Recovery

Recovery for Tintic from the Panic was slow, but deliberate. During 1894 new mills were erected at Mammoth, the Eureka Hill, and the Bullion Beck, and improved water supplies obtained for Mammoth and Eureka. Tintic's towns experienced new life.

Salt Lake's Tribune announced that "faith" in the district had been revived. A primary reason was renewed interest in milling. As early as 1893 the Mammoth Mining Company announced the erection of a forty stamp mill one mile from the gulch, utilizing the combination leaching and amalgamation process. An explanation from the Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1895, of the mill's process was as follows:

"The ores are first crushed and pulverized by stamps, the pulp being passed over copper plates, where the gold is taken up by quicksilver, then the pulp goes over vanners, which separated some of the baser metals carrying the precious ores, after which the final process is that of amalgamation in pans and settlers."

Completed in 1893, the mill was made possible primarily by the acquisition of water from Cherry Creek via a 14-mile, combined eight-inch and six-inch pipelines. Mammoth's six hundred gallon per minute capacity pumping plant cost an estimated $130,000.00. At the same time, the Union Pacific extended a spur to the mill. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1895; Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals, page 299)

Mills proved highly significant as they made possible the treatment of second-class or low-grade ores. Upon successful completion of the Mammoth mill, similar undertakings commenced at the Eureka Hill and Bullion Beck mines. During 1894 the Eureka Hill, idle year long, built a 100-to-120-ton capacity mill, with plans and machinery furnished by Frazer and Chalmers Company. An increased water supply also aided this endeavor. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1895; Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals, page 299)

At the Bullion Beck and Champion during 1894, the mine erected a mill located on the side hill north of the hoist, on the opposite side of the gulch. The plant rested on four steps excavated in stone and covered an area 220 feet long by 125 feet wide; the tower rose 105 feet above the lowest portion. As in the other cases, an increased water supply accompanied the construction. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1895; Heikes, History of Mining, page 116; and Harris, Towns of Tintic, page 134)

Franklin Farrell, of Ansonia, Connecticut, and a large owner of the Parrot mine at Butte, purchased the Sioux and Utah group of mines in 1895, and promptly erected a mill near the Mammoth mill. The Farrell mill (or Sioux mill) located on the hill above the railroad station in Robinson, contained twenty stamps, ten vanners, twenty-five pans, and ten settlers. This made a total of four mills operating in the district. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1897; Heikes, History of Mining, page 116; Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals, page 299; Don Maguire, Utah's Great Mining Districts, 1899, page 17)

Renewed mining activity in the mid-1890s brought Tintic to the forefront of Utah's mining districts in terms of production by 1899. In fact, the Salt Lake Mining Review branded Tintic as "among the leading mining sections of the intermountain region." The Salt Lake Tribune asserted: "This big district, one of the greatest in this area of the state, is carving its way toward becoming one of the richest and largest producers of the entire country." By 1897 the community's economy had begun to recover. Ore and metal shipments, and prices rose, and the flow of gold continued to increase, thus spurring investment. Heated battles over the free and unlimited coinage of silver (a battle bitterly fought in the West) waned in the post-election year of 1896, since William McKinley, running on a "gold platform", had won the presidential campaign and eventually made gold the sole standard of currency. (Salt Lake Mining Review, July 15, 1899; Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1899)

(A brief look at the state of the American economy in the 1890s and the silver question can be found in Arthur S. Link, American Epoch: A History of the United States Since the 1890s, Volume I, 1897-1920, 3rd Edition (New York: 1967) pages 6-16)

Tintic increased its gold output and reaped the benefits of increased investment. A view of Tintic's towns can best illustrate this revival.

Prior to the devastation of 1893, Eureka had incorporated as a City on November 8, 1892, with Hugo Deprezin, Mayor; T. J. Blue, treasurer. W. F. Shriver, recorder; and council members, C. W. Clark, Pat Donnelly, M. C. Sullivan, and W. D. Myers. By 1895-1896 recovery from the strike, fire, and depression (and a flood in 1896) was sparked by the mill construction. In 1895 the Bullion Beck erected a two-story, $15,000 brick store, the "B & B" on lower Main Street. W. H. Wood added a $25,000 business block, while the Eureka Hotel (also on lower Main) added a brick addition. A new $14,000 schoolhouse (the old one had been in Dutchtown) was erected in 1896. W. D. Myers remodeled the Keystone Hotel at a cost of $1,500, and the housing increased by approximately one hundred residences in the same year. 1897 witnessed the failure of the George Arthur Rice Banking house, replaced by McCornick & Co. of Salt Lake.

Conditions were such that the Salt Lake Mining Review wrote of Eureka as ten years ago having been only one "straggling winding and narrow street," but in 1899, "it is a little metropolis of several thousand inhabitants, and its enterprising citizens point with pride to its many fine business blocks, its tasty and comfortable residences, its churches, schools and newspapers." Eureka had established herself as the chief business center of Tintic. In 1892-1893 Eureka contained fifty-six business establishments and a population of 1800. (Salt Lake Mining Review, September 15, 1899; Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1896; January 1, 1897; and January 1, 1898; Utah Gazetteer, 1892-1893)

At Mammoth, as a sister camp of Eureka, the erection of the Mammoth mill, under supervision of engineer George H. Robinson, brought with it a small number of cabins began to congregate around the mill operation, a mile or so below the Mammoth mine. As the dwellings sprang up, Robinson laid out a townsite, and it was promptly named in his honor. Robinson left the employment of the Mammoth Company, and joined the Farrell group who were involved in the construction of their mill. The town of Robinson was born, and in 1895, as 25 to 50 residences were added at Mammoth, twelve were built in Robinson. The Roberts Brothers maintained a new store, and it was John B. Roberts who is credited as the first postmaster with W. M. Bristone succeeding in 1894. Joseph H. Nielson also established the Robinson Meat Market. Notable was the Hotel Mammoth, built by the McIntyres, and operated by the Dix family. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1896; McCune, Juab County, pages 220-221; Toone, Nuggets, page 2; Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals, page 327)

The Salt Lake Tribune of January 1, 1896, noted, "At Mammoth (Robinson) is one of the best hotels in the state. It is run by Mrs. Dix, who has one of the best tables, cleanest and coziest little hotels to be found in the state. The rates are $2.50 per day, and those that have stopped there once will stop there again."

For Mammoth and Robinson, the year 1896 was a significant year. On January 6, 1896, fire swept away the saloon of James Donahue and Hans J. Hassell, valued at $6,000, as well as several residences. Donahue and Hassell rebuilt a 24 by 50-foot building. The Mammoth opera house was constructed costing $2,000, with a reported seating capacity of three hundred. C. L. Addeman became Mammoth's first resident physician, opening an office in the upper town. New buildings were erected, and the population increased. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1897; Toone, Nuggets, page 10)

"The town [Mammoth] is unique in that, while only a mile in length, it had two post offices for many years, one in Uppertown and another in Lowertown where Robinson had laid out his townsite. The town continued to have the two as late as 1916 when they were combined, with Margaret A. Browne as postmistress, and located in Middletown - the suburb, according to their claim, of both Mammoth and Robinson." (McCune, page 224-225)

Robinson experienced a building boom in 1895-1897. Lots ran from $30 to $35 in 1895-1896, to $500 to $600 in 1896-1897. At this time D. R. Beebe established a lumber yard to accommodate the demand for housing (through various owners this establishment was to become the Tintic Lumber Company of Eureka). An L.D.S. Church, and schoolhouse were built in the early 1890s; these structures served as the dividing point between Mammoth and Robinson, since they served the populations of both towns. As mentioned, the Hotel Mammoth became an attractive proposition. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1897; Toone, Nuggets, page 7, 9)

(The Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1897 provides an 1896 listing of new residences, and costs, for Mammoth and Robinson.)

Additional stimulation to the sister camps was provided by the New East Tintic Railroad, a railroad constructed in 1896 by J. A. Cunningham, one of the principal owners of the Mammoth mine. Cunningham sought to connect the Mammoth mill with the mine some five hundred feet higher up the mountain side. The line, constructed of standard gauge, ran two and a half miles in length and cost $60,000 (from Cunningham's own funds). A twenty-one-ton Shay engine, named "Little Alice" (after Cunningham's daughter) became necessary due to the line's sharp curves and steep grades. Also serviced by the railroad was the Ajax (formerly the Copperopolis, becoming the Ajax on November 1, 1894), and later, the ores from the Sioux and Utah mines on the other side of the mountains when the tunnel, being driven by Robinson, reached completion.

"Mr. J. A. Cunningham, one of the principal owners of the Mammoth mine, has recently completed, at his own expense, a standard gauge railroad connecting the Mammoth mills with the mine some 500 feet higher up the mountain side. It is about two and a half miles in length, and is said to have cost about $60,000. This little line also touches the Ajax mine, and will also handle the ores from the Sioux and Utah mines on the other side of the mountain when the tunnel now being driven in under the direction of Mr. Geo. H. Robinson is completed. This tunnel will be some 4000 feet in length, and will serve for the prospecting of a vast area of mineral bearing territory now inaccessible because of the steepness of the mountain." (Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals of Utah, page 301)

(Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals of Utah, pages 312-314 offers good insight into the Utah and Sioux Groups. George H. Robinson and Franklin Farrell were the principal owners.)

(McCune, Juab County, pages 184-185, offers a photograph of the Shay engine and a story of the little engine's exploits.)

Rejuvenation particularly touched the Silver City and Diamond camps. Kantner, in his "Mines, Miners, and Minerals of Utah," wrote that Silver City and Diamond areas were already considered "old boomers"; however, speculation was "That the Tintic Mining District is on the eve of an unparalleled era of prosperity. The recent rich discoveries of vast ore bodies beneath the pyrites at Silver City make this idea more than plausible. The strikes in the Swansea, South Swansea, Four Aces and numerous other properties at Silver City would seem to preclude all possible doubt as to the future of this particular camp."

Kantner continued: "Along about the first of July [1896] there was barely a half-dozen men in the camp, and the houses that had held the population off and on for twenty-seven years were vacated and mostly in ruins. Since that time, by sinking below the pyritic strata, strike has followed strike so thick and fast that now the place is filled to overflowing with anxious men seeking a claim-footing in the district." (Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals of Utah, page 301-302)

Silver City, then labeled "one of the liveliest camps in the state," was outgrowing its facilities. Buildings were erected as fast as lumber and workers could be procured. Tents dotted the camp, even close to existing hotels, including the Paxman House, as they found their accommodations filled. During 1896 George Paxman had doubled his hotel's size; and John Leyshan erected a new facility on the site of the old Condon House Hotel. James McLaughlin, postmaster, constructed an office, while J. D. Sullivan built his well-known "16 to 1" Saloon. (Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals of Utah, page 301, 306-307)

(Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1897, provides a list of those who built or remodeled houses in 1896.)

Diamond was given new life in the mid-1890s. While Diamond is one of the oldest camps in the state, it had long been idle but was coming back to life along with the other camps in the district. Any miner who sank a shaft deep enough was striking into a uniform grade of ore that underlies the pyrites. (Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals of Utah, page 307; Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1898)

Prospectors at Diamond were not really in search of silver, but for lead, copper, and primarily gold, in keeping with the general economic situation of silver vs. gold in the national economy.

Activity in the 1894-1899 period burgeoned in all parts of Tintic. In 1894 work progressed at the Godiva, the Utah, Yankee (northeast extension of the Godiva), Ajax, Snowflake (belonging to P. Rudy, William Hatfield, Isaac Wolf, and L. E. Riter) and Carisa. The Centennial-Eureka, Gemini, Eureka Hill, Bullion-Beck and Champion, and Mammoth mines experienced a productive year in 1895.

Furthermore, John A. Hunt was sinking a shaft on the Mayday, near the Godiva, while in July the Grand Central Mining Company had begun active operation toward developing the property near the Mammoth. The Grand Central people purchased hoisting equipment from the Centennial-Eureka, and water was obtained. Officers were C. E. Loose, Manager; J. R. Twelves, Secretary-Treasurer; and Directors, L. Holbrock, Reed Smooth, C. E. Loose, David Evans, and Abraham H. Cannon. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1896)

Near Silver City the Sunbeam and Swansea were revived in 1896 and the South Swansea erected a forty-foot gallows frame. Park City interests formed the Junction Mining Company, commencing work, via a horse whim, on the Picnic group. Regarding the Dragon Iron Mine, a Tribune article stated that "Ever since the early days of smelting in Utah it has been the chief source of supply for iron fluxing material." (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1897)

(Kantner, Mines, Miners, and Minerals, pages 295-315 has an excellent assessment of Tintic in the year 1896.)

Of signal importance to the Tintic Mining District in 1896-1897 was the entrance upon the scene of Jesse Knight. The complete Knight story may be found elsewhere; but Uncle Jesse's efforts in Tintic were most significant and must form a part of this study. Knight, an ardent member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began assessment work in June 1896, on his unpatented Silas Oliver claim. He then decided to develop the mine, amid serious skepticism, and on August 6 unexpectedly broke into ore which assayed at 143 ounces of silver, $15 in gold, and 36 percent lead. The "Humbug," as it was called because of Knight's apparent doubt, became a bonanza. Shortly thereafter, in 1897, a boarding house, offices, and a water system were installed, as well as a meeting and schoolhouse. Thus, Knightsville (Knightville in some sources), then a community of twenty or more cottages located on the Godiva summit some two miles east of Eureka, became the only saloon-free, prostitute-free, privately owned mining camp in the United States. Most of Knightsville's inhabitants were Mormon, who because of the independent nature of the town, kept to themselves. Uncle Jesse ran the town well, and as will be seen later, treated his workers quite fairly. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1897; January 1, 1898)

(For the Knight history see Gary F. Reese, "Uncle Jesse: The Story of Jesse Knight," M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1961; J. William Knight, The Jesse Knight Family (Salt Lake City: 1940); papers of the Knight Investment Company, Manuscripts 278, Special Collections, Brigham Young University Library, Provo, Utah; Harris, Towns of Tintic, pages 157-167; McCune, Juab County, pages 237-241.)

Most of Tintic's gallows frames were constructed from massive wooden timbers; however, in 1897 or 1898 the Grand Central added a magnificent steel headframe to its new surface plant. A three-compartment shaft, down 700 feet, was serviced by a new hoisting engine and two cylinders with three auxiliary cylinders for operating the reverses, clutches, and brakes (designed to reach a depth of 2000 feet). All this machinery was enclosed in a building constructed entirely of steel, including the framework. Such an operation was considered a "novelty" for its time. The engine and compressor room measured 56 by 60 feet; and boiler house, 40 by 45 feet, with a wood working building. Total cost of the plant was $40,000. (Salt Lake Tribune January 1, 1899)

1899 indeed became a banner year for Tintic. Salt Lake's Mining Review noted in 1899 that Tintic was attracting the attention of capitalists and investors. So impressive was the district's performance considering the state of the economy that an 1899 mining directory stated:

"The present high price of lead and copper, together with the boom in gold mining and the many new mines opened to production in the district, have easily rendered Tintic one of the foremost districts in America. It has a large area yet undeveloped and offers to the miner, capitalist, or speculator a magnificent field for investment, and today few spots of the earth are more promising to old or young in the mining field than Tintic." (Maguire, Utah's Great Mining District, page 22)

(Statistics found in Heikes, History of Mining, page 108, "Table of Production"; Maguire, Utah's Great Mining Districts, page 62, "Useful Utah Statistics")

(1899 was also the year of the large stock deal which saw Samuel McIntyre obtain controlling interest of the Mammoth Mining Company from his brother William for a reported $250,000.00. For details see The Salt Lake Mining Review, June 30, 1899)

Among mining districts Tintic had reached maturity. Maturity in the sense of having survived the economic crisis of the 1890s, labor strife, and physical and natural crises. More importantly Tintic was the location of an area with abundantly mineral resources and possessed by many mine owners who sought to guard the potential wealth by sound development of their mines. Such development ensured the longevity of the district, and its success in the Twentieth Century.

Eureka City, by the dawn of the Twentieth Century, had evolved into Tintic's business and economic center. Essential in the understanding of Eureka's rise as the center is the geographical factor of the existence in the immediate area of several big producing mines. As mentioned previously Eureka, incorporated as a city in 1892, had risen by 1900 to the forefront, with Mammoth flourishing as well. The Salt Lake Mining Review in their "Passing Glance at Tintic" asserted:

"The largest camp in the district is Eureka, which is now one of the most progressive and prosperous mining towns in this western country. It is here that the greatest number of producing and paying mines are located. It boasts every metropolitan advantage and is a little city instead of an isolated mining camp. Mammoth, also, has kept pace with the times, and, while not as large as Eureka, enjoys about the same facilities." (Salt Lake Mining Review, April 30, 1900)

In probing the towns and life in Tintic a flashback to certain occurrences in the 1870s-1890s is of importance. The initial influx of people into the Tintic Mining District included numerous immigrants, primarily of northern European heritage, with various Asians (mostly Chinese) who had labored for the railroads. Cornish, Welsh, German, and principally Irish were the first to seek riches in Tintic. Many of these "mining pioneers" were veterans of mining or railroad ventures elsewhere and had migrated to the newly opened district.

Population increases and the rise of camps created demands for social services such as religious and fraternal groups, as well as the commercial necessities mentioned heretofore. Father Lawrence Scanlan, whose mission embraced all of Utah, visited Tintic in 1873, bringing Catholicism to Diamond, Silver City, and Eureka, recording the baptism of five persons in that same year. The Catholic liturgy (Mass) was offered by a visiting priest from Salt Lake City, until 1884, when residents of Eureka, primarily the Irish, asked for a resident priest. Reverend Denis Keiley arrived in 1885, selected a site for a church and prospective school, solicited funds from area Catholics and erected the church, named St. Patrick's, finishing it by Christmas, 1885 (the original structure still stands). A school was held in the church in January 1886 by William J. Bogan and ran until October of the same year. Also, in 1886 Reverend Patrick O'Donohue entered Eureka as the appointed pastor. In 1891 Scanlan, then Bishop, visited Eureka, saw the necessity, and decided to erect a school, which was completed in August of 1891. Named St. Joseph school, the facilities were run by Sisters of the Holy Cross who arrived in September. The school operated until about 1941, after which it was torn down. (Reverend Louis J. Fries, One Hundred and Fifty Years of Catholicity in Utah (Salt Lake City, 1926), pages 95-97)

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gradually settled in Eureka, organizing a temporary branch in November 1883, with a permanent one in 1884, at the Bullion Beck mine. Presiding elder was John Beck, with Henry Simons and Lorenz Fullenback as counselors. A Sunday school was also organized, and in 1891, followed by the Mutual Improvement Association and the Primary Association; and in 1897, the Relief Society. John Beck aided the church financially enabling the erection of a church on the hill north of his mine. In June 1893, the branch became the Eureka Ward of Juab Stake, organized by Apostle John Henry Smith. Peter Loutensack was the first bishop. Eventually, ground was purchased in 1901 on upper Main Street, followed by the erection of a Gothic-style church building in 1902. The Church building was dedicated in 1904 by Apostle Reed Smoot. Later, the Tintic Stake was organized with five wards: Eureka; Knightsville; Mammoth; Silver City; and Goshen (in Utah County). (McCune, Juab County, pages 196-197)

Methodism began in Tintic when Dr. Thomas C. Iliff visited and preached in Eureka on June 18, 1890. He immediately secured $700 as subscriptions toward a church, followed by an appropriation of $525 by the Mission Conference of 1890. Reverend W. A. Hunt was appointed pastor and succeeded by Dr. J. D. Gillilan who finished the church structure in the summer and fall of 1891. A publication on Methodism extorted; "The church moves up or down with the price of silver," describing the lean years of 1893-1894. In fact, Dr. Iliff reported, "Brother Comer [G. W. Comer, pastor, 1893-1894] has twice lost all he had, once by fire and once by robbery; but he is the gainer by taking to himself a wife." During 1899 a four-room parsonage was built (in 1918 a new one was completed). In 1903 the church tower was blown over by a storm, it was replaced. (Henry Martin Merkel, B. D., History of Methodism in Utah (Colorado Springs: 1938), pages 151-153. Pages 247-248 provide a listing of pastors who served in Eureka from 1890-1937.)

Lutheran, Baptist, and Episcopal churches also existed in Eureka. In addition, a Congregational church was opened at Mammoth in the 1890s, with Reverend Foster in charge. Also, in the 1890s at Mammoth, George Hales was bishop of an L.D.S. Church organized there. At Diamond, a Presbyterian "or" Methodist Church was the first in the camp. Later an L.D.S. Church developed with Frank Woodard as bishop. (McCune, Juab County, pages 199, 222, 234)

The Episcopal Church, built in about mid 1890s was located on Leadville Row, south of the public schools. In 1909 a fine Baptist Church was erected on upper Main Street, east of the Gus Henroid home. (For details, see the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1890, 1898, 1908, and 1923.)

Activity of fraternal and benevolent orders, organizations, and societies have always played a vital role in the social life of the Tintic Mining District. In the 1890s among the groups in existence were: The Godiva Lodge No. 8; Knights of Pythias; Tintic Lodge No. 9, F. A. M. (organized January 12, 1892); Keystone Encampment No. 8, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Eureka Lodge No. 12, I.O.O.F.; Court Eureka No. 8503, Ancient Order of Foresters of America; Oquirrh Lodge No. 19, Ancient Order of United Workmen; and Columbia Lodge No. 2, Daughters of Rebekah. (The Tintic Miner, November 1, 1895)

Newspapers were important to the area and the communities they served. Included were: The Eureka Chief (the first, published in 1889 by Charles C. Higgins); Mammoth Record (Issac E. Diehl, editor); The Tintic Miner (E. H. Rathbone, editor); The Silver City Star; and the Eureka Reporter (C. E. Huish and C. E. Rife, editors). Other newspapers mentioned: The Tintic Times (Charles S. King, editor); The Eureka Democrat (Charles P. Diehl, editor); Utah Editor and Printer (Charles P. and Isaac E. Diehl, editors); and The Republican (Newman H. Mix, editor). These newspapers and their editors were in many ways the life blood of the community. The Eureka Reporter rose to become one of the top newspapers in its class in the United States. (Harris, Towns of Tintic, page 119; McCune, pages 201-203)

Placed in such a setting, Eureka, in fact, contained the ingredients of a "little metropolis." Incorporation as a city meant establishment of a local government, with ordinances and enforcing bodies. Establishment of city officers was of importance: Mayor, Recorder, Treasurer, Council, and Town Marshall. Regarding the Town Marshall, monetary compensation for the office was put at $1,200 per annum, and "one Dollar ($1.00) for each arrest where the costs are paid by the defendant." In this light, a review of the Criminal Justice Docket ledgers, located in the city offices during the late 1970s, reveals an abundance of arrests, surprisingly not for serious crimes. For example, Sophie Rice (alias Molly Brown, etc.), the local Madame, and her "ladies of the night" (however judging from their brisk activity they were ladies of the night, day, or anytime) were arrested monthly and fined for "maintaining a house of prostitution" or "advertising her vocation as a prostitute." The fines were promptly paid; Sophie and her charges set free, the Marshall received his dollar per arrest, and the city coffers made larger by the fines. (Eureka City, Minute Book No. 1, January 2, 1893, page 1; Eureka City, Criminal Justice Docket Ledger, 1893)

A list of early mayors includes Hugo Deprezin (1893); John McChrystal (1894-1896); William Hatfrid (1896-1897); Arthur Buckbee (1898); Fred Stanffer (1898-1899); and I. H. Spriggs (1900). Regarding the Marshall, on April 6, 1896, it was "Moved seconded and passed for the Marshall to purchase four (4) Balls and Chains weighing from twenty to fifty pounds and work prisoners on the Streets." (Eureka City, Minute Book No. 1, page 114)

Civic organization was essential in the general orderly and progressive way Eureka grew. Committees such as those on "Building within the Fire Limits," "Streets, Alleys, and Bridges," and "Licensing" served necessary functions. The fire of 1893 prompted stiff regulations on buildings, and proper building material, specifically the use of corrugated iron on the exterior of wooden-framed buildings. Growth of the city made it necessary in 1894 to close the old cemetery (in the northeast part of town) and move it to its present location. James Eustice received the contract in 1897 to move bodies from the old to the new cemetery, charging $5.50 per body. In 1896 a massive flood poured through Eureka's business district inflicting great damage. I. H. Spriggs, in a council session, moved that the committee on Streets, Alleys and Bridges, and the Street Commissioner "use all necessary means in an effort to find the body of Richard Johnson who lost his life in an effort to save others. (Eureka, Minute Book No. 1, pages 52-53; pages 63, 76, 163; and pages 125, 128)

All buildings erected on Main Street, as well as improvements, modifications, and demolition had to be approved by the city council. Application was made by the owner directly to the council. Of particular significance to Eureka was the construction of City Hall in 1899. H. K. Burton, J. W. Hurd, and W. T. Knight were appointed as a committee to oversee the task. In April 1899, the City purchased the Shea Lot (Lot 1, Block 1, Plat A, next to Shea Building occupied by the Heffernan-Thompson Store) from Pat Shea for $1,200. Plans and specifications were prepared by John J. Pilgerrim for a fee of $100; and the construction contract awarded to Adams and Sons Company of Eureka, with a bid of $5,350 (undercutting the firm of Holmes and Watkins by $50). City Hall was completed September 12, 1899. Previously the city had paid Juab County $20 per month for the use of the Courthouse, on Church Street. (Eureka, Minute Book No. 1, pages 250, 256, 258, 265, and 281)

After 1900

Tintic’s history in the post-1900 years continued to be characterized by a cyclical pattern of upturns and downturns. Optimism always ran high within the ranks of her residents and mining people, as a new "strike" could send a declining or sluggish economy on a renewed upward spiral. The existence and lifestyle of any mining town or district was very much contingent upon the economic conditions that prevailed. As discussed, in 1900 Eureka, Mammoth, Silver City, Knightsville, and Diamond were enjoying growth and renewed vigor. Illustrative of this view was the following from the Salt Lake Mining Review, April 30, 1900:

"As an all-around district, prolific in its deposits of gold, silver, lead and copper, Tintic stands today as the equal, if not the peer, of any carp in this intermountain district. And yet, while Tintic is a wonderful district today, the fact remains that its mineral deposits have barely been touched, and it is believed that the future will reveal more big mines there than the past has yet recorded."

Growth and prosperity were not always followed by positive good. In 1881 J. C. Cameron, a mining engineer, had commented that "Epidemic diseases are not known, and its [Tintic's] climatic influences are conducive to physical and intellectual development." (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1881)

However, beginning in 1900, with increased activity and a growing population, the towns of the district were faced with their first big threat of a smallpox epidemic. In January, the Eureka Board of Health recommended a "Pest House" [plague house, or fever shed] be erected for quarantine purposes. By the end of the year Mammoth residents were warned against visiting cities or towns where smallpox was present. In fact, a public installation by the Mammoth Tent of the Maccabees was canceled due to the smallpox danger. (Eureka City, Minute Book No. 1, January 4, 1900, page 307)

Blueprint drawings for a pest house, to be located northwest of the cemetery, were found in Eureka City Hall, however, there has been evidence that such a structure was built.

From 1900 to the 1920s and 1930s susceptibility to disease was a critical issue in Tintic, sporadically affecting the lives of the town's residents. In January 1903, the Eureka City Council issued a proclamation prohibiting dances and public entertainment to prevent the spread of smallpox then raging in various valley towns (Goshen, Payson, Santaquin, etc.). City officials were also desirous of keeping valley produce peddlers out of town. While their order was a protective measure, the Eureka Reporter editor took issue with the action. During February of the same year schools were closed at Mammoth due to cases of diphtheria. (Eureka Weekly Reporter, January 30, 1903; February 13, 1903)

Fires continued to plague Mammoth. In May 1902, the building and goods of the Miner's Supply store were consumed by flames; followed in February 1903, by the destruction of the saloon owned by John T. Smith and Dan Murray as well as Mrs. Margaret E. Brown's Millinery establishment.

The forty-two room Mathews House in upper town Mammoth burned in 1905, in addition to residences; losses were estimated at $10,000. In 1905 the residences of Frank Harryman and Arnold Johnson were also destroyed. (Eureka Reporter, February 27, 1903; Toone, Nuggets, page 11)

Commercial and business activity reflected the general prosperity of the decade. Eureka, by 1903-1904, alone contained some ninety business listings in the Utah State Gazetteer and Business Directory. Mammoth claimed fifteen such establishments; Robinson contained twenty-seven; Silver City housed eighteen; and Diamond held but three. Such listings included: mining company offices, general mercantile, meat markets, confectioneries, bakeries, saloons, restaurants, hotels, furniture stores, millineries, tailor shops, cobblers, men's furnishings, barbers, jewelers, photographers, laundries, druggists, utility offices, telegraph and freight agencies, undertakers, newspapers, midwives, blacksmiths, tinners, livery stables, banks, physicians, and lawyers. Again, Eureka's dominance both in terms of numbers and variety is evident. (Utah State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1903-1904, Volume II, 2nd Edition (Salt Lake City: R. L. Polk and Company, 1904), pages 119, 127-129, 185, 288-289)

Growth of commercial activity was of course commensurate with the district's revitalization commencing in 1899. The George Arthur Rice bank had folded in 1897, but in 1898 McCornick and Company, bankers of Salt Lake City, closed their operation in Mercur and moved to Eureka. By 1903-1904 the bank was firmly established with Frank D. Kimball as cashier. Thus, Eureka was the banking point for the entire district, which helps to explain its role as Tintic's business center. An article in the Eureka Reporter asserted that McCornick and Company also moved the bank's fixtures to Eureka. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 1, 1898; Eureka Reporter, July 25, 1929)

Numerous businesses were flourishing in Tintic, as previously mentioned. A list of specific merchants and establishments shows several prominent businesspeople who really began their climb in the Tintic District. F. L. Shriver and his brother, W. F. Shriner had an established clothing store in Eureka in 1892, and by 1903 William Shriner and John J. Harper jointly operated the venture. Joseph Wirthlin was a partner with John R. Morgan in a meat concern operating in Eureka in 1903. Meanwhile at Mammoth, the Miner's Supply Co., built in 1896, was owned chiefly by David Keith. D. C. Forsey, Sr., opened a general merchandise store in about 1902. Later in the decade the J. C. Penney store opened and will be discussed later. The establishments of these individuals remained in operation into the late 1970s, which attests both to their business skills as well as the economic base attainable in the Tintic district. Also of relevance in this light was an earlier editorial in the Salt Lake Mining Review which covered Salt Lake City's palatial homes and beautiful residences, built from mining wealth. Among them were families whose interests lay in Tintic mining and business ventures, including W. S. McComick, David Keith, Thomas Kearns, the Walker Brothers, William McIntyre, Mrs. John McChrystal, W. W. Chisholm, and John Dern. It was in October 1900 that John Q. Packard of the Eureka Hill donated $95,000.00 to Salt Lake City for its public library. (Utah Gazetteer, 1892-1893; Utah Gazetteer, 1903-1904; Toone, Nuggets, page 10; Salt Lake Mining Review, April 29, 1899; Salt Lake Mining Review, October 15, 1900)

A basic feeling of protection for Eureka's business houses commenced in earnest in the early 1900s. According to existing sources this sentiment manifested itself in the form of opposition to the existence of peddlers in the city limits. Ordinances were established early that governed peddlers, and license fees established. However, in December 1902, the Eureka Reporter, lamenting the lack of enforcement, asserted, "It is any wonder that business is somewhat slow with the merchants of Eureka?" (Eureka Reporter, December 26, 1902)

The presence of valley peddlers, soliciting the sale of fruits, vegetables, meats, and wares of diverse types, was always viewed as a potential danger to area business concerns. The only exceptions were the views maintained by Socialist administrations, which will be discussed later.

Social and political aspects of life in Tintic in the first decade of the Twentieth Century also reflected a general level of prosperity and growth. By 1902 new fraternal organizations entered the social scene, including the Eureka Camp #451, Woodmen of the World; Twentieth Century Circle #316, Women of Woodcrafts; Court Gladstone No. 6, Foresters of America; Tintic Hive No. 5, Ladies of the Maccabees; Evening Star Lodge No. 7 Degree of Honor Ancient Order of United Workmen; and Tintic Lodge #711, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The Elks organized on June 20, 1901, becoming the second lodge in Utah. Due to a population requirement, stipulating that an area needed to have at least 4,000, the lodge was named the Tintic Lodge, thus encompassing the entire district. Also making a reappearance on February 8,1902, was the Eureka Miners Union Local No. 151 of the Western Federation of Miners, with fifty charter members. (Eureka Reporter, November 7, 1902; November 21, 1902; December 2, 1902; "Tintic District Miners' Union 151, Program Home Coming, Labor Day Celebration," September 6-7, 1936, preserved at BYU Library)

Other social organizations developed in an atmosphere that proved conducive to their existence, an atmosphere of a mining town, or district, isolated from other areas, yet prosperous enough for its inhabitants to seek camaraderie and association with others of similar interests. Musical groups proliferated. Owen Humphrey organized and led the Robinson Juvenile Band in 1903. Along similar lines, John Ivey, Frank Morley, John Dooly, and Joseph Phillips comprised The Eureka Quartette; and Isaac B. Darton headed Darton's Orchestra. In November 1903, a new band entered the arena, soliciting the following responses from the Reporter: "A good band has a wonderful effect in advertising a town and it is to be hoped that Eureka will never be without one again." By May 1904, the Eureka Union Band, composed of twenty-one members and managed by Henry Matsch was organized. (Utah Gazetteer, 1903-1904, pages 127, 289; Eureka Reporter, November 27, 1903; May 20, 1904)

Such musical groups played at dances, parades, and celebrations; and provided the communities with a service essential in the lifestyle of the time. Music functioned as a release, and a means of socializing, prior to the numerous modes practiced later.

Religious-oriented groups served similar needs. The Mutual Improvement Association and the Relief Society served the Mormon community. In 1902, upon completion of the L.D.S. Church, social gatherings were a prominent feature in the structure, including a private masquerade ball held at the church in December 1902. In 1909, under Bishop Peter Borup, a $2,000 social hall, similar in Gothic style, was added to the east side of the church.

Catholic organizations included the Knights of Robert Emmet, the Blessed Virgin Mary (B.V.M.) Society of St. Patrick's Church, and later the Knights of Columbus. Of course, various of the orders mentioned previously had ties with the Methodist Church. Members listed in the Knights of Robert Emmet were: Joseph Hanni, P. C. Downey, John P. Shea, John T. Harrington, J. E. Driscoll, and P. J. Fennell. (Eureka Reporter, December 5, 1902; March 6, 1903; March 20, 1903; November 20, 1903; May 14, 1909)

Other social groups added to the trend. The Ladies Aid Society, Eureka Home Dramatic Company, and the Blue Rock Club (comprised of men employed at the Centennial-Eureka mine), were in evidence by 1902. In 1904 the Silver City lodge of Eagles transferred to Eureka, headed by James Gately. In Eureka there was a political group, organized in 1902, entitled the "Socialists Club of Eureka." Speakers, such as Warren Foster and Joseph Gilbert, addressed the gathering at the Odd Fellows Hall and the L.D.S. Church. The Socialist Party began activity in Tintic in 1903 and received good numerical support in the November elections. Their headquarters was the Hurd Building in Eureka. (Eureka Reporter, January 16, 1903; March 13, 1903; October 16, 1903; November 13, 1903 (gives vote counts); February 19, 1904)

Social organizations served a function. The above discussion has pointed to the abundant activity of fraternal and social associations in Tintic. Viewed in the total context of their existence in a mining district, such groups contributed to a basic closeness exhibited in Tintic social life. Again, members joined voluntarily to associate with others of similar values; but because of the general isolated nature of a mining area, these groups afforded an opportunity for individuals to socialize and associate with others under an institutional sanction. Various of the above groups still exist and attest to the firm establishment with which they or' adhered to the social fabric of Tintic.

Major contributions to Eureka's business district were made by several of the above-mentioned associations. Substantial structures were erected in the City that symbolized both the general prosperity of the area, as well as the firm footing such groups enjoyed. The Odd Fellows had built a structure in 1891, which served as an opera house and gathering place for other organizations, such as the Masonic Hall. In November 1903, the Eureka Miners’ Union purchased a lot on upper Main Street, just northeast of City Hall, from H. F. Fulbriede. President Henry Matsch announced the plans for the prospective building estimating the cost at $6,000 for a brick and stone structure measuring 40 by 80 feet. Completed in 1907, the Miners' Union Building ultimately built as a two-story concrete block structure (block made by Tom Clarke, a local stone mason) cost $14,000 and housed the union in addition to other fraternal orders on the upper floor, and commercial establishments on the lower level. Henry T. Cornwal was the contractor who erected the structure. (Eureka Reporter, November 20, 1903; Tintic District Miners' Union, Program, pages 6-7)

The most notable of these establishments was the Golden Rule Store, part of the early chain of stores owned by J. C. Penney. On March 31, 1909, a general business license was issued to Earl C. Sams and J. C. Penney, and the enterprise was temporarily housed next to the Uncle Sam Saloon. In July 1909, the store relocated to the Miners' Union building where it remained until the 1930s. Penney began his chain at Kemmerer, Wyoming, and sources indicate that the Eureka store became "J.C. Penney & Company" store number eleven. E. C. Sams later became national president of J. C. Penney & Company. As a side note, a J. C. Penney Company employee's notepad, housed in the Tintic Mining Museum, indicates that Eureka was store number eleven. (Eureka City, General License Certificate, issued to Sams and Penney, Merchants, March 31, 1909, June 30, 1909; Eureka Reporter, March 26, 1909; July 16, 1909; February 2, 1917, which provides a brief history)

An imposing edifice was erected by the Elks in 1909-1910 west of City Hall. Architects for the structure were Richard C. Watkins and John F. Birch, and Martin E. Anderson, Logan, was the contractor. In June 1909, the fraternal order passed a resolution to mortgage, lease, or sell any or all the lodge's property to secure $25,000 for the new building. Home for the Tintic Elks was completed at a cost of $30,000 and dedicated in March 1910, and, like the Miners Union Hall, immediately housed a commercial enterprise, Hefferman and Thompson, general merchandise who had been in the Shea Building next door. In addition, the offices of Dr. J. A. Hensel and Dr. L. D. Pfouts (dentist) were housed on the second floor. (Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Tintic Lodge No. 711, Record Book C, October 24, 1907-December 29, 1910, Minutes for May 6, 1909, and June 10, 1909; Eureka Reporter, June 31, 1909; March 25, 1910)

Local newspapers exerted an impact upon Tintic communities. As the main source of information, these newspapers editorialized, advertised, and in general kept residents cognizant of their environment. While exact circulation figures are not available, the Eureka Reporter and the Mammoth Record, leading Tintic newspapers, enjoyed good coverage. Their language was often euphemistic, as in the case of obituary notices. Upon the death of P. T. Cook, the Reporter noted, "Another old timer of the Tintic district has taken his chamber in the silent halls of death."

At times, the tone became humorous, "An Eastern editor refuses to publish obituary notices of people who while living did not subscribe for his paper and says, 'people who do not take their home paper are dead anyhow and their mere passing away is of no news value.'"

And in the case of Tintic, a perpetual joust existed between the Reporter and Record, symbolizing the competitiveness of the two communities. An example:

"The Mammoth Record is authority for the statement that there were twenty-five fights in Eureka on Christmas Day. This paper has made a careful canvass of the situation, and we are under the necessity of calling the Record editor down for exaggerating the immorality of the camp. There were but twenty-four fights here on that day." (Eureka Reporter, January 30, 1903; November 13, 1903; January 1, 1904)

The Salt Lake Mining Review, September 15, 1899, listed Tintic newspapers as The Mammoth News, Silver City Star, Mammoth Record, and The Tintic Miner, which folded in 1903.

Political happenings proved fertile ground for local editors. An indicative example is found in the Reporter's response to an order issued by Eureka Mayor, Holland F. Gear, in November 1903, closing saloons on Sundays: "Mayor Gear becomes moral on the eve of his departure from office. Saloons to be closed Sundays."

In a follow-up report the editor exhibited facetiousness by stating: "All the saloons were closed last Sunday in accordance with Mayor Gear's order. There was no loss of life reported, but this was no doubt due to the fact that a great deal of 'tangle foot' [homemade, or low-quality alcoholic drinks; moonshine] and the fluid that made Milwaukee and several other places famous [beer] had been cached away on Saturday night. Many ladies are wondering why their husbands did not have their usual business engagements in town last Sunday. The rumor that a saloon had been opened at Knightsville was denied in time to prevent a stampede in that direction." (Eureka Reporter, November 27, 1903; December 4, 1904)

Significant to Tintic's social atmosphere were her schools and the education of the children. A general prosperity with various fluctuations during 1900-1910 also manifested itself in this realm. In June of 1909, a contract for a school building at Knightsville had been awarded to Martin E. Anderson for $5,500. At the same time Trustees of the Eureka School District were receiving bids on a new high school, awarding the contract to Watkins and Birsh, architects. However, the building was not completed until 1912. A 1909 school census enumerated pupils as follows:

Eureka:
541 boys
543 girls
15 female teachers
3 male teachers
1084 total

Mammoth:
237 boys
240 girls
477 total

These figures represented an increase from 1908 of 133 pupils in Eureka and 50 in Mammoth. (Eureka Reporter, June 4, 1909; June 31, 1909; July 23, 1909)

The foundation of the Knightsville school is the only remnant of that town.

Mining activity during the decade was based upon economic fluctuations. The Grand Central Mining Company had installed a tramway in 1899 that connected its mine with the railroad at Robinson. Also, in 1899 litigation commenced, which would linger for years, a lawsuit over ore bodies between the Mammoth and Grand Central companies. Leasing began at the "ancient workings on the upper levels of the Mammoth," near the "cave" or old "Glory Hole." Highlighting the year 1900 was the sale of the Centennial-Eureka to the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company. Stocks had risen from $2.50 per share initially to $75 per share by 1900. Such a transaction prompted the Mining Review to state that, "Formerly the bulk of Centennial-Eureka disbursements remained in this city; now, however, it will go east. A point well taken, especially when viewed in the light of cyclical economic patterns evident in the area." (Salt Lake Mining Review, April 29, 1899; September 30, 1899; January 15, 1900; March 15, 1900)

In 1901 production of metals, except copper, decreased largely because of pending litigation, as mentioned above. A further decrease occurred in 1902, as the Centennial-Eureka suspended shipments, primarily to allow United States Smelting and Refining to complete its Midvale smelter, at the same time that the American Smelting and Refining Co. had also completed its Murray smelter. These smelting plants became the reduction works for most Tintic ores, and correspondingly, most ores at this time were first class shipping ores indicating that most of the area mills had served their function. Also in 1902, a large ore body was found at the Gemini, with the Ajax, Carisa, Lower Mammoth, Tesora, and Yankee Consolidated becoming large producers. (Heikes, History of Mining, pages 106-107)

Total production in 1900 had been over $7,000,000 in value, dropping to near $3,700,000 in 1902, but on the increase by 1903. Output by 1906 was valued at over $8,000,000.00, due to the increase of lead ore, partly because of the Beck Tunnel property in East Tintic. The Panic of 1907 caused another downturn, with production plummeting down to a value of about $5,300,000. Prices of metals were low and smelting rates high, which helps to explain Jesse Knight's Tintic Smelter (to be discussed later). By 1909 mining had recovered (production near $8,250,000) and the district enjoyed a record output of lead, principally from the Colorado, Iron Blossom, Sioux, and Beck Tunnel, all in East Tintic. Production dropped in 1910-1911 to $7,000,000.00, but by 1912 jumped to $9,800,000.00. The economic seesaw would continue. (Heikes, History of Mining, page 108)

Continuing in the discussion of mining activity, mills were built by the May Day and Uncle Sam mines in 1900 and 1903, respectively. Announcement of the May Day Mill, located near the mine tunnel south of the Godiva, came in November 1900. The mill was to reduce second-class ores, and by 1912 the May Day was the only mill being operated by a Tintic mine. In November 1903, it was reported that the Uncle Same Mill reached completion, with power being supplied by the Telluride Power Company. This proved significant for in 1900 the Mining Review, in an article concerning electricity, discussed the Telluride plant in Provo Canyon, pointing to the fact that one of its main objectives was to provide power to Eureka (Tintic). (Salt Lake Mining Review, November 15, 1900)

(The May Day mill construction started during the last week of January 1901, with the beginning of excavation. Work was completed by mid-May 1901, with the construction crews moving to the building of a mill for the Yankee Consolidated company. The May Day mill was closed briefly during August 1901 to strengthen the building structure, which had proved insufficient for the mill operations. Repairs were completed and a public open house was held in mid-November 1901. The process being used was known as "Wood dry process of concentration" with air being used to fluidize the flow rather than water. The mill was closed between May and October 1902 to make changes to the milling process, with the May Day mill in Eureka being to only mill at that time using the Wood process, invented by C. S. Wood of San Francisco. The mill's capacity was increased from 60 tons per day, to 100 tons per day in June 1907. -- Salt Lake Mining Review, January 30, 1901; May 15, 1901; August 30, 1901; November 30, 1901, describes the process; May 15, 1902, October 30, 1902; June 15, 1907)

Silver City mines had encountered water, causing many to close, which led to an idle state for the area. Then Jesse Knight built the Sampling Mill, and in 1908 the Tintic Smelter. Mine owners had for years battled railroads and smelters over tariffs and reduction rates. Knight constructed a narrow-gauge railroad that serviced East Tintic and erected the smelter to combat the exorbitant rates of the 1907-1908 years. Erection of the smelter in 1908, near Silver City, had a rejuvenation effect for that area, causing it to boom again. Smelter Day, July 24, 1908, when the smelter opened, remains a highlight in Tintic history. Celebrations were numerous and joyous; affairs again reached a peak. (Accounts of Smelter Day can be found in McCune, Juab County, pages 229-231; and Harris, Towns of Tintic, page 166)

(Pertinent articles on "railroads and smelters" and rates can be found in the Salt Lake Mining Review, August 30, 1900; September 15, 1900; May 15, 1909; and the Eureka Reporter, February 20, 1903)

(The ore sampler at Silver City had been built in 1908 by Taylor & Brunton, a Colorado company. The Taylor & Brunton company had built its first Utah sampler in Murray in 1892, and the sampler at Silver City was an expansion for the company, whose major interests were in Colorado. Jesse Knight and his son purchased the Utah plants of the Taylor & Brunton company, and organized their Utah Ore Sampling Company in December 1909.)

Knight's Tintic Smelting Company erected the furnaces to treat lead and copper ores from mines owned by the Knight company. The first lead furnace was blown in on August 28, 1908. By the end of the year two furnaces, each having a capacity of 250 tons, were in operation, and a copper furnace nearing completion. A total of four lead furnaces were functioning by 1909 (until October). Lime and iron for flux was provided by area quarries and mines; and coke was shipped in from Sunnyside, Utah. In addition, the Telluride Power Company ran a line to the structure. The Tintic Smelter, while successful, was an ephemeral enterprise and lasted just more than a year. Accounts abound as to the reasons; but it seems apparent that lower smelting rates, making it more profitable to ship ores to valley smelters, caused the complete ceasing of operations. (Eureka Reporter, November 6, 1908; Heikes, History of Mining, pages 114-115)

(A good descriptive article on the smelter is found in the Salt Lake Mining Review, June 15, 1909. See also the Engineering and Mining Review, Volume LXXXVII (April 10, 1909), page 777. Harris, Towns of Tintic, pages 165-167 offers an account of Knight's plight regarding the smelter.)

Proving of significant importance to Eureka and the Tintic Mining District was the entrance in 1909 of the Chief Consolidated Mining Company into the area. Walter Fitch, Sr., had entered Tintic earlier, purchasing shares of the Little Chief Mining Company. On January 21, 1909, the company was incorporated, and by March operations launched. Fitch erected a home near the chief surface plant. Completed in June, the dwelling was constructed by H. C. Campbell of Eureka. In July, Fitch organized the Eureka City Mining Company, with the explicit purpose of prospecting under the Eureka town site. The owner of an acre of ground was to receive one thousand shares of stock for mineral rights to the property. According to records at the Juab County Recorder's office "mineral rights" to most properties were indeed purchased in 1909. By July 1910, the Eureka Reporter newspaper was giving notice that the Chief Consolidated and Eureka City Mining companies were consolidating. (Chief Consolidated Mining Company, Meeting Minutes, Volume I, February 16, 1909-December 1922; The Salt Lake Mining Review, March 15, 1909; Eureka Reporter, March 19, 1909; June 31, 1909; July 30, 1909; January 28, 1910)

Fitch's ventures proved successful. A December 1909, account reported that fifty men were being employed, and the completion of an assay office and a six-compartment ore bin and that the company was in the process of building a machine shop. In addition, at that time a new hoisting plant was to be installed in the future. Within the next decade the Chief would become a giant in Tintic. (Engineering and Mining Journal, Volume LXXXVIII, December 18, 1909, page 1232)

The Centennial-Eureka moved ahead in 1910 with work on the mine. The shaft was sunk to 2,200 feet and a tunnel driven in 2,160 feet, connecting with the shaft at the 500-foot level. Thus, the Holden Tunnel, as it was named, replaced the aerial tramway that had been used earlier to transport ore to the railroad facilities. At the mouth of the tunnel a power plant was also being erected. (Engineering and Mining Journal, Volume LXXXIX, May 14, 1910, pages 938, 1016; and Volume LXXXX, September 24, 1910, pages 620-621)

(In the same volume, LXXXX, September 24, 1910, page 594, an article described the "Centennial-Eureka Chute Pocket and Gate" that was devised at the mine. A bed of rock formed the bottom of the chute to prevent hard siliceous ore from cutting out the bottom of the gate or inclined ore pass.)

At the Mammoth, a cage dropped to the bottom in July 1910, necessitating the eventual erection of a new shaft house and headframe. A small hoist was temporarily installed to keep the operation going. (The Engineering and Mining Journal, Volume LXXXX, July 30, 1910, page 236)

The 1900-1910 decade again illustrated a fluctuating economy. By 1909 Tintic was riding a crest. Illustrative of this trend was an article written by Leroy A. Palmer, which conveyed the romantic nature of Tintic. While all eyes were on Nevada, he wrote, "The fact often escapes our notice that almost at our door we have their equal." (Salt Lake Mining Review, March 30, 1909)

He was correct in his assertion. Later, in July, another article stated succinctly,

"If you have a mine anywhere in the country and you don't like the location, move it to Tintic. No matter what kind of a proposition it is, if you can get it in this district, it will command attention, for this section seems to be the long odds favorite in Utah's list of mining districts. A visit to the local stock exchange will almost convince one that Tintic is the only place on the map where something is doing all the time." (Salt Lake Mining Review, July 30, 1909)

These are contemporary accounts, and while written to sell Tintic, they nevertheless convey certain attitudes and beliefs maintained regarding the Tintic Mining District, that the district had distinctive qualities.

Civic consciousness reached various peaks in 1910. Eureka City, as reported in the local newspaper, was free from debt by May. Earlier in 1909, a public library had been erected in Eureka, west of City Hall. Funds for the structure were secured from the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, who through the Carnegie Institute, made construction of numerous libraries possible.

In Eureka, the Carnegie Library Committee consisted of James D. Stark, A. L. Mitchell, P. J. Fennell, W. F. Shriver, M. D. Howlett, Gus J. Henriod, Edward Pike, C. E. Zabriske, and Capt. Hugo Deprezin, who had labored in purchasing the land from Hugh Heffernan (for $1,200) and in securing plans from architects Watkins and Birch. The structure cost $16,000 and indeed became a source of civic pride. As an example, the Crescent Theater, who in 1910 had opened moving pictures in the Shea Building after the transfer of Heffernan-Thompson Co. to the Elks Building, donated the receipts from their first performance to the Library board for purchase of books. And in a special meeting held on the placing of concrete sidewalks on Main Street, unanimous support was given, except for a protest from Anna Marks. (Eureka Reporter, May 27, 1910; Eureka City Minute Book No. 2, page 402, 414; Eureka Reporter, October 15, 1909; October 7, 1910)

Mammoth was incorporated as a city in 1910. A battle raged between the incorporators, who signed a petition for the action merging Mammoth and Robinson as a city, and the mining companies. The question was over "real property taxpayers," since many of the signatories owned their home, but not the land. Issues were resolved as the Attorney General ruled in favor of the taxpayers. Thus, Mammoth City became a city, with James Hutchinson, Mayor; Isaac E. Diehl, recorder; N. J. Hansen, treasurer; Councilmen, Albert W. Larsen, Dr. Steele Baily, D. A. Depue, P. N. Anderson, and Peter M. Gillispie; Alfred M. Moyle, justice of the peace; D. A. Depue, Marshall; and N. A. Robertson, attorney. (Eureka Reporter, June 17, 1910; Toone, Nuggets, page 11)

Jesse Knight's Tintic Smelter generated a boom period which especially affected the Silver City and Mammoth areas. In 1910 there were 350 houses, 354 families, and a population of 2,823 in Mammoth. Building accelerated; one manuscript described the situation as follows:

"There were often as many as three families living in one house. The over-flow lived in tents. Buildings sprang up overnight. An order for a house given in the morning was ready for occupancy the next evening. This rapid construction was accomplished by the carpenter laying the floor and nailing together the four sides on the ground and raising them into position. If the roof was not finished in time it was completed after the family moved in." (Toone, Nuggets, page 11)

After the smelter ceased operations, conditions changed, illustrated by the observation that in 1911-1912 Mammoth's population had declined to 1,700.

After 1910

The second decade of the Twentieth Century was also one characterized by periods of "ups" and "downs," exhibited both in the economic sector and social scene. Such a pattern again placed Tintic in a situation endemic to the rest of the United States. War and labor shortages affected Tintic as it did other portions of the country.

Typical also was a growing anti-foreign sentiment accompanying the arrival of southern and eastern European immigrants. Labor opportunities attracted Italians, Finns, Greeks, and Slavic peoples (labeled Austrians), as they began entering the country and state at the turn of the century. Furthermore, many labor leaders feared this influx would flood the labor market with cheap labor as had been the case with Chinese workers in the Nineteenth Century. Chinese were present in Tintic in the late Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. In 1892 Sing Chung, who operated a Chinese and Japanese Goods establishment on upper Main Street in Eureka, advertised himself as an agent for Chinese cooks and laborers, "furnished at short notice." Laundries operated by Yee Yoo (Ho) and Sam Lung listed in the early 1900s as well as Tom Ong and Charles Lung who had conducted the Hatfield House (on the side of the Star Theater).

Concern over the influx of southern and eastern Europeans in Tintic developed in about the 1908-1912 period. Several Italian merchants (Nick Ferrando, Frank Scappatura, Peter Mingerolti, and Joe Rizzi), and various Italian miners had resided in Eureka and Tintic in the early 1900s, but since they were few in numbers, and most significantly since they were dispersed with the rest of the population, not in a "clustered" situation, there apparently was no alarm. Commencing with the smelter building and increase in activity in Tintic, new arrivals entered, and the situation changed.

Tintic's sporadic smelter and mill activity helps to explain why the existence of these foriegn groups was short-lived. Individuals remained as miners, but because ethnic communities did not survive the periods of "boom," these people came to an accommodation with the existing society in Tintic; thus, anti-foreign sentiment eventually eased.

Production, in terms of value of ore, reached an all-time high in 1912, soaring to $10,000,000. Tintic became a zinc producer for the first time. Mixed carbonate and silicate ores of zinc were shipped from the Uncle Sam, May Day, Yankee, Ridge and Valley, Gemini, and Lower Mammoth. Fluctuations in ore values, usually declining, occurred until 1916 when a value of over $9,000,000 was regained. (Heikes, History of Mining, pages 107-108)

Commercial activity in Tintic towns continued in a period of general growth. However, the trend indicates that fluctuations in mine productivity did affect commercial activity in a similar trend. Polk's Business Directory revealed that in 1912, when Tintic was at a peak, Eureka housed 112 businesses, Mammoth 54, and Silver City 8. Population figures were 4,000, 1,700, and 300, respectively. By 1918, during the post-World War I period, Eureka had eighty-eight establishments, Mammoth 27, and Silver City 13 with Mammoth recording the only noticeable population decrease to 1,500.

Merchants organized to aid their commercial enterprises. As early as 1908 the Merchants' Association of Tintic began an attempt to stop the "notorious dead beat" who secured credit but did not pay and yet acquired credit elsewhere. Records show that by 1918 a Retail Merchants' Association existed, with William F. Shriver, manager. Both organizations were collection agencies; yet no evidence suggests they were the same since none existed in 1912-1913. Interestingly, 1908 was a slow period in Tintic, where credit would have been more of a problem with men out of work or in a non-productive situation. (Eureka Reporter, November 27, 1908; Utah State Gazetteer, 1918-1919, page 57)

Notable events occurred in 1912 within the limits of Eureka and Mammoth pertaining to education and civic affairs. Tintic High School was completed by mid-summer. The structure was designed by Irving Goodfellow, architect. Mammoth again suffered from serious fires. During the summer of 1912 flames consumed the post office, confectionery, and a moving picture theater, owned by McIntyre and McGee in Robinson. Consequently, in August the Mammoth City Council met and authorized the organization of a volunteer fire department, a group which still functions. Mammoth had purchased three fire hydrants for $700, and 500 feet of fire hose. (Eureka Reporter, June 28, 1912; July 12, 1912; July 19, 1912; August 9,1912)

Labor activity proved to be of significance during the decade. Prosperity, as mentioned, reached a peak in 1912. Accompanying such prosperity were demands by labor for better wages, reasoning that mine production was high, profits were high, therefore wages should be increased. This type of reasoning permeated the ranks of organized labor in Tintic. In September over two hundred miners attended a meeting of the Tintic District Miners Union. A committee composed of James Hanley, M. J. Tischner, Daniel Connally, George Burt, and George Hales (Mammoth) was appointed to present a request to the Mine Owner's Association to raise wages. Reasoning for such demands, according to the committee, centered on the inflated cost of living. Muckers were receiving $2.75 per day, miners $3.00, and machine and timbermen $3.25. The Tintic District Miners' Union became a formal consolidation of Eureka and Mammoth unions in 1913. (Eureka Reporter, September 13, 1912)

Mine owners, represented by C. E. Allen and John Dern met with employees in September. A newspaper report maintained that union officials had stated that in the past mine owners had shown a disposition to treat them with consideration on subjects involving the welfare of the men employed in mines of the district; therefore, optimism ran high. The miners stated further that they had no interest in the strike trouble then raging in Bingham except to see fellow workers treated fairly. By October wages were raised. Mines operating on a six-day basis would pay muckers $3.00 per day, miners $3.25, and machine-men and timbermen $3.50. Jessie Knight was cited for his "characteristic generosity." (Eureka Reporter, September 20, 1912; October 4, 1912; October 11, 1912)

Labor-management relationships in Tintic were characterized by general smoothness. Except for issues in 1893 and 1917, Tintic's labour scene lacked significant conflict. Of prime impact in explaining this phenomenon is the observation that the union, in all towns of the district, enjoyed the general cooperation and support of the community. In 1893, public support favored the union. As early as 1908 Eureka's City Council began an annual donation of funds to the union for a labor day celebration, with the usual gift being $25.00. (Eureka City Minute Book No. 2, page 446; Letter from James Hanley, Eureka Miners' Union No. 151, to Mayor and City Councilmen of Eureka City, August 12, 1910; held in Tintic Mining Museum)

An article from the Eureka Reporter, June 28, 1912, originally appearing in the Intermountain Worker, offered good insights."Organized only ten years ago, in 1902, with 25 members, Tintic District Miners Union has grown to a body of united workers numbering 800 paid up and active members. Four-fifths of its members are married men, citizens of character and responsibility, well read and intelligent men, and sturdy pillars of the community. The majority of them are American born."

The general absence of "foreign workers" in the union may explain much in accounting for favorable community relationships. The fact remains that union members were active in local politics. For example, many members of the Socialist Party, who held offices sporadically in the 1908-1925 period, were union members. The union acted in a general conservative manner, showing no real signs of radical philosophies such as those exhibited by the I.W.W., Industrial Workers of the World, known as the "Wobblies."

In 1917, when members of the I.W.W. arrived in Tintic, they met with a reserved response and were turned away. Mine owners, such as Jesse Knight, treated workers well. This is not to intimate that union-mine owner relationships lacked intensity and animosities. Because of the solid foundation the union held within the community, it appears that mine owners respected union demands and could not brand them as "radical" or "susceptible" to outside agitators. Conversely, the union, desirous of maintaining public support, sought to nurture that position by accepting compromise and proceeding on a mild course of action.

Higher wage demands appeared again in 1917. In May employees of the Eagle and Blue Bell Mine made formal requests for a fifty cent per day advance, plus a day off on Sunday. The situation appeared settled when mines at the Mammoth end agreed to pay the scale that existed at Eureka properties, indicating an increase. The agreement called for a twenty-five cent per day hike, and not fifty as had been demanded. Men were given an option of working on Sundays. It was reported that there were ninety union members in Mammoth. (Eureka Reporter, May 4, 1917; May 11, 1917)

In June 1917, when the I.W.W. entered Tintic for an organizational campaign. The Eureka Reporter, June 15, 1917, responded with the following. "There is no place in this peaceful community for I.W.W. agitators. We have an excellent labor organization here with a membership that includes some of the best people in the district, men who will always counsel their more radical brothers against rash acts. This organization has invested money here and has been a key factor in the district's growth. Prominent members tell us that they discount the chances here of the I.W.W.

Carl Fields, one of Tintic's oldest residents, when asked about the Wobblies, recalled: "Well, the only thing I know is they came in here and tried to organize and they built a big fire over here on this mountain over here and a few of the old miners and people around here, they went up there and ran them off, told them to get the hell out of town. Well, it seems to me like they caused a lot of trouble, yes, and these older people, they didn't like what they were doing. I understood some of them were from Butte." (Carl Fields, private interview, August 18, 1976, Eureka, Utah)

I.W.W. organizers did not gain a foothold. The Western Federation of Miners, W.F.M, had divorced itself from the I.W.W. in 1908, and in 1916 became the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers (IUMMSW), commonly called "Mine and Mill," affiliated with the American Federation of Labor.

With the change in affiliation, new I.U.M.M.S.W. (former W.F.M.) union officers were elected in June 1917, with the Eureka Reporter, June 29, 1917, reporting the names of the newly elected union officers. At Eureka, elected were: John Star, president; Lafe Peterson, vice-president; Hensen Nelson, financial secretary; George Sunderland, recording secretary; Edward Bjear, conductor; Charles Greenland and Melvin Runnells, wardens; Frank Glayson, Pete Christensen, John Naylor, Frank Rodgers, and Edward Lloyd, trustees. Mammoth officials were John W. Anderson, recording secretary; Charles H. Brown, Jr., conductor; and Hyrum Harriman and Bert Wheelook, wardens.

At the same time the mine owners initiated a card system for employment in Tintic mines. The Tintic Mines Information Bureau was established and men seeking employment at any of the mines in the district were first compelled to secure a "rustling card" which was issued at the Bureau's office. Such a move was explained as a means of securing the "best class of labor," and can be surmised as a vehicle for countering I.W.W. (radical) activity in the area. Co-existent with the Information Bureau activity, the Eureka Reporter, June 29, 1917, sensing tension, asked, "What Is Wrong In Tintic?" The article alluded to a "feeling of unrest," that could lead to "serious labor difficulties" and pleaded for an "environment of mutual effort for harmony." In July higher wages in all mining districts were increased; miners $4.50 per day, muckers $4.00, and corresponding increases for other workers except carpenters and painters. (Eureka Reporter, June 29, 1917; July 6, 1917)

Harmony existed for only eight months, as the situation again boiled in the spring of 1918. The Eureka Reporter newspaper, in its "Open Letter To Tintic People," admonished against "radical action of any kind," stressing that those who strike during a wartime situation lack "in the great principles of Americanism." A tone permeated the report that hinted at a strike and again pleaded for workers to "stop look and listen before taking a step which will bring them nothing but trouble at a time when there are altogether too much trouble and suffering." Mine workers held a mass meeting, calling attention to a list of grievances previously submitted to the mine owners. Included in the demands were a request for semi-monthly paydays, a raise in wages, and abolition of the Information Bureau's card system. Radical action was opposed. (Eureka Reporter, March 29, 1918)

A wage increase at Bingham was likely the cause of dissatisfaction among Tintic miners; however, in early April mines of the Eureka end of the district, the Chief Consolidated, Eagle and Blue Bell, Centennial-Eureka, Gemini, Ridge and Valley mines, posted notices that on the first of May wages would increase by 25 cents. In addition, these mines agreed to allow employees to vote on semi-monthly pay days, but no mention was made of the card system.

William M. Knerr, of the State Industrial Commission, entered the affair and asked the union to meet with employers, but not as an organization. The union met as a body and both Eureka and Mammoth miners agreed on a walk-out only if their requests and grievances were not "given attention" by the mine owners. Under Knerr's negotiating tactics the union agreed to drop all other grievances and make a stand on wages and pay days. The card system issue was sacrificed. The Mammoth end of the district was more unsettled, and union members agreed that if Mammoth men failed to get the concessions, they would not interfere with the mines which had shown a disposition to meet the demands of their employees. (Eureka Reporter, April 5, 1918; April 12, 1918)

By mid-April, tensions were easing. The Chief, Eagle and Blue, and Grand Central mines all went with semi-monthly pay periods. At Mammoth, the Gold Chain closed until the labor trouble eased. At the Mammoth, Manager Earl McIntyre favored a wage increase but intimated no change in the manner of paying workers. By April 19, the Eureka Reporter newspaper was lamenting the fact that Tintic was experiencing an acute labor shortage, due to the war. The same day union members accepted Knerr's proposition, and wages were to be increased on May 1 to put Tintic on the same scale as Bingham and Park City. (Eureka Reporter, April 12, 1918; April 19, 1918)

Problems continued to plague the Mammoth end. On May 1st, the Mammoth mine shut down as the semi-monthly payday was not granted. Manager McIntyre stated that the mine closure would not have any effect on profits because its smelter contract had expired, and in any case, it was shipping low-grade ore which was already resulting in low profits. The union posted notices warning miners to stay away, but manager McIntyre stated such was not the case as thirty men continued to work and voted to maintain a monthly payday. Miners at the Knight properties, especially the Iron Blossom, Dragon Consolidated, Colorado, and workers on the Eureka Hill railroad and at the Tintic Milling Company voted to retain pay once a month; however, by June the semi-monthly system was installed. In July wages were advanced further; miners $5.25, muckers $4.75 per day. (Eureka Reporter, May 3, 1918; May 10, 1918; May 17, 1918; May 24, 1918; June 14, 1918; July 19, 1918)

Thus, the labor problems of 1917-1918 ended. As mentioned earlier, tensions existed but the problems were settled in a most compromising way. Again, such an outcome, and the way it was achieved, illustrated the general harmony that existed in Tintic between labor and management.

Mining activity reached new heights during the second decade of the Twentieth Century. In value of production, 1918 attained a peak of $11,183,506; 1919 declined to $10,000,000; and in 1920 an all-time high of $12,000,000. New operations were launched, mills erected, and surface plants improved. (Production table, Federal Emergency Relief Administration, "The Significance to the Rural Relief Problem of Economic Fluctuations in the Tintic Metal Mining Region in Utah," held at BYU Library)

Early in 1910 Jesse Knight completed a new power plant in Santaquin Canyon. Of course, the explicit purpose of this structure was to serve the Knight properties. In 1912 Knight announced the erection of a new mill in Star Hollow, near Silver City. The mill was completed in the latter part of 1913 and utilized the Knight-Christensen process of chloridizing, roasting, and leaching, adapted primarily for treating low grade ores of the Knight mines--Iron Blossom, Colorado, Beck Tunnel, Black Jack, Dragon, and Swansea. The mill performed well during its experimental period, but on April 6, 1915, before certain mechanical problems could be corrected, a fire destroyed the plant for a complete loss of $150,000. (Eureka Reporter, March 18, 1910; April 29, 1910; September 5, 1912; September 20, 1912; October 18, 1912; February 19, 1915; April 9, 1915; Heikes History of Mining, page 117)

(Knight's new power plant later became part of his Knight Consolidated Power company, which in-turn, became part of Utah Power & Light.)

(Read more about Knight Consolidated Power Company)

Reconstruction of the Knight mill was to commence immediately, but instead a proposition was offered to the Knight concern by the Mines Operating Company of Park City, a George Dern venture. The Knight and Dern interests united in the construction of a mill on the site of the old Tintic Smelter that used the Holt-Dern process of roasting which had operated successfully for two years at Park City. V. C. Heikes described the process as follows:

"Briefly the process consists in roasting a mixture of ores, salt, and powdered coal, condensing the acid roaster gases in salt solution, leaching the roasted ore with this solution, and precipitating the metals on scrap iron." (Heikes, History of Mining, page 117)

(Read more about the Tintic Milling Company)

Work began in July 1915, with Alexander McDonald of Eureka contracted to do excavation and concrete work. By March 1916, break-in work was being done; and in April the mill had proven a success. Initially equipped with three Holt-Dern roasters and one Christensen roaster, in 1916, when commercial operations commenced, eight more Holt-Dern roasters were added in place of the Christensen mechanism. By January 1918, the mill was shipping two bullion cars per month. (Eureka Reporter, December 4, 1914; May 14, 1915; May 21, 1915; July 16, 1915; August 20, 1915; March 17, 1916; April 7, 1916; January 25, 1918; February 22, 1918; March 1, 1918)

(Read more about the Tintic Smelting Company)

Utah Mineral Concentrating Company built a concentration plant of 100 tons daily capacity in the later months of 1914. The experimental mill, intended to concentrate primarily ores from the Chief, was built near the Plutus property, east of the Chief No. 1 shaft, about 200 feet from the switch leading to the Eagle and Blue Bell, and Victoria mines. Henry M. Atkinson, general manager of Utah Mineral, took charge of construction. By January 1915, the mill was doing "very satisfactory work," but in 1916 the plant was closed for an indefinite period due to financial difficulties. (Heikes, History of Mining, page 117; Eureka Reporter, September 4, 1914; October 9, 1914; October 16, 1914; January 8, 1915; February 5, 1915; August 27, 1915; January 21, 1916; February 11, 1916)

The Chief Consolidated Mining Company surged ahead in the 1910s. Just southeast of the shaft the area known as Fitchville developed. Walter Fitch, Sr. had built a home, patterned in a Swiss chalet-type of architecture, in 1909 (remodeled in 1917). During 1912-1913 other structures were erected; and as Fitchville evolved main dwellings were erected for Cecil Fitch, Sr.; Howard Fitch, the Chief's geologist; J. Fred Johnson (who married Lilian Fitch), superintendent of the Chief; and Walter Fitch, Jr. (later the Hilsdale home), the Chief's contractor. These dwellings were designed by architect Walter J. Cooper, who had arrived in Utah in 1910 in the interest of Henry-Ives Cobb, the architect who designed, among other buildings, the Newhouse Hotel. Cooper eventually settled in Utah, and together with William Jones, the Chief's building contractor, designed and erected most of the Chief's residences and offices. (Chief Consolidated Mining Company, Meeting Minutes, March 29, 1912, and September 15, 1913; Noble Warrum, editor, Utah Since Statehood (Chicago: 1919), pages 446-449; Cecil Fitch, Jr., private interview, August 10, 1976, Salt Lake City, and Frances Jones, private interview, September 30, 1976, Eureka, Utah)

New buildings were erected at Homansville in 1916 where the Chief maintained a lime quarry. Later in 1917 new ore bins, designed by Cooper, were erected at the mine; as well as work on the shaft by Walter Fitch, Jr. In 1918, a brick change room, east of the hoisting plant, was built. Highlighting the Chief's construction efforts was the commencing in 1918 of a new three compartment shaft, known as Chief No. 2, about one half mile east of Chief No. 1. This shaft was unique--a triple compartment "concrete-lined" shaft. Walter Fitch, Jr., contractor, sank the shaft, and the concrete work completed by the Villadsen Brothers, Salt Lake contractors. The Chief was the first mine in Utah to try out the advantages of a concrete shaft. (Eureka Reporter, January 21, 1916; May 25, 1917; June 1, 1917; May 31, 1918; July 15, 1918; July 19., 1918; July 26, 1918; Salt Lake Mining Review, July 15, 1920, page 25)

Other mines initiated various ventures. The Eagle and Blue Bell erected a new ore house in 1912; and later in the year a steel gallows frame was erected at the Iron Blossom No. 1 shaft. Of particular impact was the construction in 1914 of a brick sub-station by Utah Power and Light (near Fitchville). 1915 proved the year that activity increased in the shipping of various dumps. Shipments were made from the Sioux mill and Eureka Hill mill dumps. In addition, the Mammoth Mine shipped about 4,000 tons of tailings from the old mill near the McIntyre ranch. Such activity continued sporadically throughout the 1915-1918 period. (Eureka Reporter, August 2, 1912; August 16, 1912; October 25, 1912; July 24, 1914; October 2, 1914; April 30, 1915; July 9, 1915; March 9, 1917; May 10, 1918)

Leasing proved remarkably successful during the same period. The system involved the leasing of a block of ground within a mine, necessitating the payment of royalties to the owning company. In 1915 "hundreds" of leasers were doing very well at the Gemini, Chief, May Day, Eureka Hill, Bullion Beck, Yankee, Beck Tunnel, and Colorado mines. The Chief's system of leasing (block method) was the first to give the miner a chance at really sharing in the mine's profits. (Eureka Reporter, September 17, 1915; Fitch interview; Harris, Towns of Tintic, page 174)

Jesse Knight initiated in 1917 the Tintic Drain Tunnel. This venture envisioned the driving of a tunnel from the Goshen slope into the heart of the Tintic Mining District to drain the south end of the district. Its completion would have meant a rebirth for the Silver City area. Reports followed the progress of the tunnel from its beginning, and as it was driven in 150 feet, 350 feet, 700 feet, 775 feet, 800 feet, 1000 feet (it was to be in about 2200 feet), and finally as work was stopped in 1924 because of financial difficulties. Jesse's tunnel was never completed. (Eureka Reporter, January 18, 1918; March 29, 1918; June 7, 1918; July 19, 1918; August 2, 1918; October 4, 1918; October 4, 1918; November 9, 1923; January 25, 1924. Manuscripts No. 278, Knight Investment Company, Special Collections, Brigham Young University Library, Provo, Utah)

In 1917 nine Knight properties in the Mammoth end of the district, including the Lower Mammoth, Boston and Tintic, Central Mammoth, Tennessee Rebel, Opex Consolidated, Black Jack, Garnet, Old Colony, and the Eureka and Manhattan, were brought together under the Empire Mines Company.

E. J. Raddatz and the Tintic Standard Mining Company came into fruition in the 1910s. As the development of the Chief proved of signal importance to Tintic, so did the Tintic Standard, whose ore body was struck in 1916. The nucleus of the Tintic Standard was located by John M. Bestlemyer, a pioneer prospector of Tintic; but in 1907 Captain Emil J. Raddatz, an experienced miner, who had reportedly conversed with Bestlemyer, entered the area and because of the indications of ore in East Tintic secured some claims. In October 1907, he incorporated the Tintic Standard Mining Company for 1,175,000 shares, assuming the position as president and general manager. (Raymond D. Steele, Goshen Valley History (1960), pages 208-211; Eureka Reporter, February 22, 1918)

The history of Raddatz's trials and tribulations is a romantic one, retold numerous times. Stock was given to workers as wages and used to secure provisions. Assessments were attached to the stock, and Eureka merchants stopped accepting Tintic Standard stock as payment. Time wore on, yet no ore; skepticism mounted. Finally, in 1916, the ore body was struck; the Tintic Standard would become another giant in Tintic. Those who kept the stock were enriched many times over, and many retired wealthy individuals.

A town grew around the Tintic Standard mine operation, in Utah County. Reports state that Raddatz first called "his" town Standard. In September 1918, the new camp was named Dividend (rightly so, as the Tintic Standard was delivering them regularly), with a population of about two hundred. A new post office was soon to be established, and Mrs. Nellie Gray, postmistress. New structures were being erected, including a twelve-room lodging house, ground cleared for a new boarding house, and school, and toward the east of the main workings, a residential area housed fifteen frame dwellings. The company built the structures and rented them to employees. Dividend was indeed a "company town." A "sign of the times" occurred in March 1918 when the Tintic Standard announced that teams would no longer haul ore, but that four motor trucks would assume the task. (Eureka Reporter, May 24, 1918; September 20, 1918)

Mining, of course, was the main feature of Tintic, but ranching and farming were also a part of the legacy; a part of Tintic history that has been neglected. A 1947 publication listed the best-known ranches in the Tintic and West Tintic Valleys as the Tintic Ranch, Summer Ranch, Hassell's Ranch, Rockwell's Ranch, and Cow Hollow Ranch. Key names of men who attempted dry farming were also mentioned. An account of various events may shed more light on the matter. (McCune, Juab County, pages 179-180)

Dry farming in the Tintic Valley and district shared with mining a susceptibility to fluctuations. In this case, however, the fluctuations were more attributable to nature, although the economic factor (i.e., profit) proved of importance. Reports of dry farming activity appear more regularly in the 1910-1920 period. In 1910 Dode Wing secured one thousand acres of land in Tintic Valley. Also, at that time Gus J. Henriod and Herbert Hopes purchased a brush grubbing machine, to clear about one hundred acres. Contracts stipulated the necessity of clearing a certain percentage of land each year. (Eureka Reporter, March 25, 1910)

Activity in 1912 produced large crops. Hans J. Hassell and Samuel McIntyre, Jr. owned one of the largest dry farms in Utah, located in Juab and Tooele Counties (about fifteen miles west of Eureka). Their yield, for 1912, was put at about 12,500 bushels of wheat. In the light of such a yield, it seemed appropriate that the Reporter publicized the opportunities in dry farming and stressed its importance. (Eureka Reporter, July 19, 1912; August 9, 1912)

The most notable farming venture in Tintic was that attributable to Jesse Knight, who, through basic desires or corporate need, found that when no one would supply certain needs at the right price, the solution necessitated his supplying himself. The Knight farm, just west of Eureka, was launched in about 1914. In August, the farm yielded sixty bushels of wheat to the acre; best crop of grain raised to date in the Tintic Valley. By June 1915, work was started on a concrete grain elevator, built by Knight's company, the Union Grain and Elevator Company, headed by J. William Knight. The cost was estimated at $15,000. Knight's farm was functioning well into the 1920s. (Eureka Reporter, August 21, 1914; July 18, 1915; July 9, 1915)

In Manuscripts 278, Knight Investment Company, Box 191, Folder No. 2, "Union Grain and Elevator Company Financial Records," there exists an undated description of the farm as follows:

- 2640 Acres Land
- 1240 Acres Under Cultivation
- All fenced and cross fenced
- House and Sheds
- Water system, including title to Jenny Lind Springs
- With or without 50,000-bushel concrete elevator

By 1918 the farm was operated by W. L. Creer; in 1921, according to the above manuscript collection, a three-year lease was given to Vet Whiting of Mammoth.

Grain yields in 1915 averaged about twenty bushels to the acre, smaller than in 1914. Yet, the Wing dry farm, one of the largest, had to date, August, threshed about 2,600 bushels. Tintic's low yield was attributable to low rain fall. (Eureka Reporter August 27, 1915)

A fascinating sideline to the Tintic farming scene was the Mosida farming venture. "Mosida by the Lake" was the brainchild of two brothers, Lawrence and Roy Curtis, who in 1909 purchased a large amount of land west of Utah Lake, approximately twelve miles north of Elberta. By 1910 a townsite was laid out, and property was for sale. Water was to be pumped out of the lake and used for irrigation. Problems permeated the project. In 1917, the land company failed with the main problem being Mosida's inability to guarantee payment to the power company for pumping water. A contemporary account listed Tintic people involved as G. A. Franke, Charles Holmes, Fred Erickson, Prof. U. L. Williamson, A. W. Larsen, Frank Cromar, Rasmus Nelson, and W. E. King. Mosida's main problems were listed as two: 1) the pumping and power problem, and 2) the fluctuating water levels of Utah Lake which made pumping impossible. (Steele, Goshen Valley, pages 165-172; Eureka Reporter, May 4, 1917; May 11, 1917; May 18, 1917; March 8, 1918; March 22, 1918)

While the above has been a mere cursory view of farming in Tintic, the point has been made that, in the words of a Reporter article, "Tintic Produces Some Things Besides Metals." The Tintic Valley National Land Loan Association was in existence in 1917 as an aiding body. Later farmers, primarily from Nephi, would find more consistent success in dry farming the Tintic Valley. (Eureka Reporter, June 22, 1917; McCune, Juab County, page 180)

Tragedy, storms, and disease marred various years in the 1910-1920 period. In September 1914, twelve men were trapped when the Oklahoma stope caved-in at the Centennial-Eureka mine. Eleven eventually died, in the worst accident in Tintic history. Those dead were: Edward Allen, Edward J. Barrick, Thomas Bottrell, Earl D. Brison, John Hewson, William Knipe, John Knipe, Bert Lessee, Fred Sundquist, Mike Rosa, and Kurt Zierrold. Jacob Pinterella became the only survivor. (Eureka Reporter, September 18, 1914)

A winter storm crippled mining operations in 1917. For the first time in the history of railroads in Tintic, a storm stopped railroad operations. Snow slides inflicted considerable damage; trains were buried attempting to get through Homansville. The snow only added to the problem of a coal shortage. Eureka's mayor communicated to Governor Simon Bamberger that the Denver and Rio Grande should be compelled to help relieve the situation. (Eureka Reporter, February 23, 1917)

Influenza spread like "wildfire" through Tintic's towns in 1918. Dr. Steele Baily, Jr., Mammoth City physician, issued orders in October for residents to stop traveling from camp to camp; whenever the disease made its appearance, Bailey instituted a strict quarantine. Eureka affected stringent regulations in closing all "soft drink" parlors (saloons); removing tables, etc. from ice-cream stores; and prohibiting the congregation of citizens. Cemetery grave sites, and oral testimony verify that hundreds died. One informant recalled that in the A. N. Wallace Furniture Store and Mortuary, bodies were so numerous that the undertaker was forced to place bodies in dresser drawers, on tabletops, or wherever room could be found. The epidemic was especially devastating for infants. (Eureka Reporter, October 11, 1918; October 18, 1918; October 25, 1918; November 1, 1918; Jack Lucas, private interview, August 15, 1976, Eureka, Utah)

Despite fluctuations in the economy, Tintic enjoyed substantial growth in the 1910-1919 years of the Twentieth Century. Prolonged prosperity again seemed at hand as the Chief and Tintic Standard properties were flourishing. Disease had temporarily interrupted optimism, but entering the 1920s Tintic again ushered in a new decade steeped in confidence and prosperity. The "roaring twenties" has proven to be a most romantic and exciting period in this nation's history. Some maintain that the era was a progression or simply a continuation from the previous decade. Tintic, in the 1920s followed much in the same pattern as did other areas of the nation and offers an example illustrating that those years were not an anomaly but a continuation, of course with modification, of preceding years.

After 1920

Values of production for the 1920s will aid in forming a backdrop for discussion of these years. By 1920, production was valued at $12,000,000.00, highest to date; followed by years of decrease and increase. Computed figures were as follows:

1921 -- 9,801,712
1922 -- 11,911,501
1923 -- 14,015,916
1924 -- 13,043,031
1925 -- 16,187,583
1926 -- 15,011,520
1927 -- 11,188,934
1928 -- 9,828,823
1929 -- 10,545,407
1930 -- 6,875,688

By 1933, production had plummeted to $1,881,637. (Federal Emergency Relief Administration, Rural Relief Problem, page 50)

Commercial activity boomed in the early and mid-1920s. Due to prohibition, "saloons" were labeled "soft drink" parlors; but a good drink, or likewise, could be obtained at most establishments. In Mammoth, W.H. Elmer operated one; and B. M. Cornich, Rollo E. Peery, Edwin Simpson, and James H. Whitlock all ran billiards halls. Eureka contained about six soft drink-billiards concerns. Several of the most notable were the Gately Brothers (James and John), James Crooks, the Snug Pool Hall, and Tony Cavilette's "Coal Chutes." (Utah State Gazetteer, 1920-1921, page 101; Eureka Reporter, October 22, 1926; March 18, 1927)

Earlier in 1917 the Eureka Banking Company succeeded McCornick Brothers Bank; and in 1924, through a reorganization, Tintic people assumed control of the concern. President was George Dem; directors, J. George Jones, W. F. Shriver, and Steele Bailey, Jr.; and cashier, Alex J. Jex. New businesses also entered the scene, including Skaggs (opposite Star Theater) in 1923, Loy Young Cafe (east of Tintic Merc.) in 1925, Everybody's Store, in the old post office) in 1926, and in 1928 the Tintic Mercantile was sold to Abe Wolfe by the McChrystal Investment Company. (Eureka Reporter, August 10, 1917; November 6, 1923; February 15, 1924; July 17, 1925; September 25, 1925; June 18, 1926; November 1, 1928)

Various old businesses either changed hands, expanded, or altered operations. For example, in Eureka the Wallace Building was sold by Frank Garrity, barber and real estate agent, in 1925; being demolished. In 1926 R. L. Conyers erected a two-story brick structure on the site which housed his Raymer Pharmacy and Mrs. Conyer's Millinery store on the bottom floor, and a residence on the upper story. Also, in 1925 Harold and Edwin Shriver joined their father as partners, the business known as W. F. Shriver and Sons. In 1928, the Shrivers opened a store in Provo (still in existence in the late 1970s). John Oreno opened a garage in 1925 near Tintic High School; and the same year the Tintic Garage Company petitioned to disincorporate and dissolve. W. L. Conover, owner of the company, altered his building (just east of the Methodist Church) in 1927 to accommodate a garage. (Eureka Reporter, March 27, 1925; May 1, 1925; August 7, 1925; September 11, 1925; March 26, 1926; June 10, 1927; April 27, 1928)

Norman and Jensen, who had succeeded Hefferman and Thompson, erected a storeroom across from City Hall in 1926. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Oke, who had managed the Eureka Hotel, assumed charge in 1926 of the Tintic Hotel. The same year Dan Ostrander sold his cafe to F. J. Sullivan; and Job Long, who had owned the Keystone Hotel since about 1920, died in December. Also dying was M. D. Howlett, the "Eureka druggist," who had retired in 1929, passing away the same year. (Eureka Reporter, January 1, 1926; August 6, 1926; December 10, 1926; July 18, 1929)

Obviously, activity in Tintic, especially in Eureka, was brisk during the 1920s. The label "Roaring Twenties," can also be fittingly used here in describing life and society. From the Sinclair Lewis novel, Babbit, which depicted the 1920s lifestyles, comes observations equally evident in Tintic. The first is centered on the proliferation of clubs, etc. As has been pointed out, Tintic has always contained a wide variety and number of such groups, but in the 1920s, their number grew. Existent for the first time were: the Mah Jongg Club, Five Hundred Club, Trap Shooting Club, Kiwanis Club, Essays Literary Club, Patellah Club, Silver City Study Club, Fideles Club, Priscilla Club, Bon Ton Club, Red Wing Club, The Elite Club, and a Moose Lodge No. 1470. (Eureka Reporter, May 11, 1923; December 14, 1923; February 13, 1925; November 13, 1925 (supplement); February 17, 1928)

Indeed, there was a growth of organizations. Many of these groups were composed of members with the same socio-economic status; and were closed to others. Thus, the need for numerous associations. "Acceptance" became a basic need in 1920s society, as tenets of an urban-industrial society began to supersede those of a rural-agrarian economy.

Automobiles and motor vehicles invaded Tintic in grand fashion. Articles in the 1920s recounted religiously that the "first" Benzine buggy, an Oldsmobile, in Eureka was that of C. C. Griggs, superintendent of the Uncle Sam and May Day. In fact, a 1917 report stated, "Eureka Leads State In Ownership of Automobiles," barring Ogden and Salt Lake. Such a finding, from figures at the Secretary of State's office, was used as an index of prosperity. Eureka purchased a new $2500 fire truck in 1917, while in 1918 the Tintic Standard shifted from teams to trucks. Big news in the local media in 1923 was the purchase of a new Buick Six by Alex Zarvos of the U. S. Candy Company. Throughout the 1920s the Reporter assiduously reported on auto-accidents; and in one incident quipped, "A good horse was always able to get intoxicated drivers home safely, and that's more than the best automobile can do." (Eureka Reporter, May 11, 1917; March 8, 1918; May 11, 1923; December 14, 1923)

(Newspaper accounts in the local Eureka Reporter in the 1925 to 1929 period contain accounts of the lifestyle of many residents, but not the majority, of the towns in the Tintic District, especially in Eureka. Interested researchers are encouraged to delve deeper, using online newspaper resources.

Accounts and incidents reported in local newspapers illustrate that Tintic was truly in the mainstream of American life during the 1920. Prosperity reigned in Tintic, especially in Eureka, in the early and mid-1920s, as it did elsewhere; and with prosperity attention of the citizenry could turn to social matters where automobiles, sports, and organizational affiliations seemed all important. Following a post-World War I depression, the country entered a productive period in 1922. Significant here was American industry which entered a phase of industrialization termed, "The second industrial revolution." (William E. Leuchtenburg, The Perils of Prosperity, 1914-1932, (Chicago: 1968), pages 178-203)

New products, such as cigarette lighters, wrist watches, oil furnaces, anti-freeze fluids, reinforced concrete, book matches, paint sprayers, Pyrex glass, and new synthetic materials revolutionized American life. Tintic shared in these latest items and coupled with inexpensive automobiles (the Ford Model-T), radios, and sound motion pictures, life was changed; return to the past would be impossible.

(The 1920s also saw political movements that came and went through the Tintic communities. Interested researchers are encouraged to delve deeper, using online newspaper resources.)

Throughout the 1920s, as always, the mines were the focal point of Tintic's prosperity. An American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers' publication in 1925 stated: "With a total value to date of well over $200,000,000 for its ore production, the Tintic mining district ranks as one of the three main ore producing areas of Utah. In it are located the biggest silver mines of the country." (One Hundred Thirty-Second Meeting American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, Salt Lake City, 1925, page 77)

Mining activity flourished, again, a basic continuation of previous years. New mills were built, mines reopened, and in general all thrived until 1929. Even in the early depression years the Chief, Tintic Standard, and North Lily held on to their operations and were Tintic's only producers.

E. J. Raddatz undertook the construction of the Tintic Standard Reduction Mill during 1919 and 1920. Built on a hillside near Warm Springs, some two miles east of Goshen, the structure was designed and constructed by W. C. Madge, with consultation from George Dern and Theodore P. Holt. Completed in 1920 at a cost of $580,000.00, the mill began operations in 1921. By March, the mill treated between 160 and 180 tons of ore per day, increasing that to 200 in 1922 after two furnaces for roasting sulfide ore were added. (Salt Lake Mining Review, April 15, 1921, page 26; and Steele, Goshen Valley, pages 231-232)

(A good capsule history of the Tintic Standard [Harold] mill is the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Utah Survey, Tintic Standard Reduction Mill, October 1972, by T. Allan Compiler. Also, Eureka Reporter, October 9, 1925, page 6)

Work at the Harold Mill ran on a twenty-four-hour basis, employing twenty-five men per shift. However, in the fall of 1925 the mill was closed because the mine (Tintic Standard) could not supply enough tonnage of the grade of ore for which the mill was designed. (Steele, Goshen Valley, pages 231-232)

(In the HAER Survey it was reported that in 1924 the mill recovered 88 percent silver, 60 percent copper, 32 percent lead, and 7 percent gold held in its ore.)

Harold, Utah grew up around the mill. The town, named after Raddatz's son, consisted of a boarding and lodging house, a commissionary, and three or four dwellings for mill officials. Workers came from Goshen, Genola, and Santaquin; consequently, creating a "boom" period for these valley towns, especially Goshen. (Steele, Goshen Valley, page 232)

The Chief Consolidated constructed its own mill in 1924, located east of its No. 1 shaft, and west of the old experimental mill. It was a flotation mill with ore coming from the Chief's main property as well as from the old Eureka Hill mill dump, which the Chief owned as of 1922. (Eureka Reporter, February 1, 1924; March 27, 1925)

Mine earnings and production were attaining important levels. By 1922 the Chief became the largest producer of silver in the United States. In 1923 it was the country's heaviest taxpayer--$197,000 (Union Pacific was next with $79,000). The same year the Tintic Standard hit Utah's tax rolls as the seventh highest payer in the state. She paid her largest regular and extra dividend, amounting to $290,325.00. (Salt Lake Mining Review, February 28, 1925, page 12-20; Eureka Reporter, December 14, 1923)

Old mine dumps were being shipped primarily by the American Smelting and Refining Company, who paid $100,000 to the Mammoth Mining Company for 200,000 tons of ore from the old mill dump; and purchased the dumps of the Bullion Beck and old Tintic mill. (Eureka Reporter, February 6, 1925; February 27, 1925; August 7, 1925)

In 1925, the International Smelting and Refining Company entered Tintic. That year, the Yankee Consolidated was secured; and by 1929 the firm, then controlling the North Lily, acquired the Knight properties. The acquisition, for about $1,000,000, was made under the name of the North Lily Mining Company. In 1928 the North Lily had installed a new hoisting plant and commenced the construction of a tramway. (Eureka Reporter, May 22, 1925; February 24, 1928; May 2, 1929; July 11, 1929)

Also of significance in 1929 was the erection of an eighty-five-foot steel gallows frame at the Eureka Standard. The hoist was built by the Provo Foundry Company but was later dismantled. (Eureka Reporter, May 16, 1929; July 11, 1929)

Earlier in 1926 the Knight Railroad that connected Knight's East Tintic mines with the Union Pacific and Denver and Rio Grande at Silver City, was leased to Samuel Werrett, C. E. Simpson, and Frank Werrett (Eureka Reporter, November 12, 1926)

Mid-decade optimism ran high in mining circles. James W. Wade, general manager of the Tintic Standard, asserted that if seen as a whole, the Tintic District could never be worked out. Even a 1926 slump in metal prices could not cause alarm. By 1927 the Reporter's editor ventured that capital was coming, Tintic would grow, and prosperity was near at hand. An interesting and significant factor appeared in a 1928 Reporter in the form of an article entitled "Eureka Once More Lays Its Old Ghost." The "Ghost" being the notion of Eureka's demise; however, the article discounted such beliefs, maintaining that merchants were remodeling, and that Eureka's residents have faith in its phoenix-like comebacks. (Eureka Reporter, November 20, 1925; October 8, 1926; February 17, 1928)

Such optimism was, and remains, highly significant as an underlying theme throughout Tintic's history.

Mammoth City faced adversity during 1925-1929; thus, having less reason for optimism. Lawsuits with various corporations plagued the city since incorporation. Decisively beginning in 1925 such suits were diminishing the city's tax base. A July 1925 decision in the case of the Chief Consolidated Mining Company, Plutus Mining Company, and the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad versus Mammoth City was ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. Several hundred acres of land were segregated from the city limits. It was the contention of the companies that an injustice occurred when a city tax was levied on land so far from the city proper. The Grand Central, purchased by the Chief in 1922, was left within Mammoth City limits. Litigation seesawed, but in the final score Mammoth City lost, and the city lost a sizable portion of its tax base. (Eureka Reporter, July 17, 1925; January 1, 1926; August 6, 1926; September 3, 1926; December 31, 1926)

Fire again struck Mammoth in 1926. On Sunday, September 19, a blaze erupted at the rear end of the Mammoth Supply Store. Among the structures consumed by flames were the Mammoth Supply, gymnasium, dance hall, boarding houses, rooming houses, pool hall, barber shop, and several residences. Total loss was estimated at $80,000.00. Prompt response by Mammoth and Eureka firemen saved the Mammoth Hotel from burning in 1928. A dwindling population and tax base led to disincorporation in November 1929. (Eureka Reporter, September 24, 1926; October 29, 1926, the Kelly Supply succeeded the Mammoth Supply; February 24, 1928; September 29, 1929)

Mammoth City, the corporate entity, ended; but Mammoth, the physical area, did not, and still lives, though a mere trickle of past years.

The Bullion Beck buildings were torn down in 1925, except the gallows. In 1929 Union Pacific and Rio Grande authorities discontinued railroad agencies at Silver City and the agents moved to Eureka. Express and small freight service were continued. Later, in July, miners' wages were reduced by twenty-five cents per day. The Bullion Beck, and Silver City were at one time pillars of the district, and their passing must be viewed with significance.

Tintic's Silver Jubilee took place on August 28, 1929. A joyous occasion, the two-day celebration consisted of a large parade, depicting the pioneers of Tintic, a barbecue, banquet, and program honoring many of Tintic's older residents. At the height of festivities an airplane struck the bell tower of City Hall and plunged into the Taylor Brothers store just east of the hall. One passenger was killed, and reports indicate that the incident marred the entire occasion. (Eureka Reporter, August 1, 1929; August 22, 1929; September 26, 1929; October 25, 1963)

After 1930

Depression hit the entire country. The 1930s are an ending point for this study because the character of Tintic began to change with the onslaught of world-wide depression. A Federal Emergency Relief Administration study on Tintic summed up the effect on the mines by stating: "All have suffered greatly since 1929 and as a consequence have greatly influenced the economic structure in the district and near it." (Federal Emergency Relief Administration, Rural Relief Problem, pages 19-20)

Employment lagged, payrolls declined, production practically ceased, and most commercial enterprises suffered from 1929 to 1934.

The above Federal study concluded that the effects of any fluctuations in mining activity and employment reached beyond the immediate mines and extended to an "ever-widening" circle of inter-related activities, especially farming. Values of mineral production from 1929 to 1933 declined to 82.1 percent; lowest since 1886. Minerals existed but had no market; and a decline in mining operations affected taxes, power consumption, and even the circulation of books at the Eureka public library. Employment dropped and about 400 of the 783 unemployed workers left by 1934, with the greatest number moving to valley towns. (Federal Emergency Relief Administration, Rural Relief Problem, pages 189-194)

Tintic's physical character changed in the 1930s and 1940s. Many of her structures were either moved to valley towns or torn down because of a lumber shortage in Utah. (Eureka Reporter, March 19, 1942; May 7, 1942; June 11, 1942; July 16, 1942)

Sources

The following works form a partial listing of sources relevant to Utah mining:

• Utah Historical Quarterly, Vol. XXXI (Summer, 1963);
• Daughters of Utah Pioneers, comp, by Kate B. Carter, The Story of Mining in Utah, Lesson for October, 1963;
• Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce, What Mining Means to Utah, (Salt Lake City: Chamber of Commerce, 1929);
• Leonard J. Arrington, Great Basin Kingdom: An Economic History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900 (Cambridge, 1958);
• John R. Murphy, The Mineral Resources of the Territory of Utah (Salt Lake City, 1872);
• Robert G. Raymer, "Early Mining in Utah," Pacific Historical Review, VIII (1939), 81-88;
• Robert H. Bradford, "Utah Mineral Deposits and Their Metallurgical Treatment," in The Salt Lake Mining Review, Vol. 10 No. 18, (December 30, 1908);
• Miles P. Romney, "Historical Review of Mining in Utah," Mining Congress Journal, Vol. 49, No. 5, (May 1963), 48-52;
• C. E. Needham and Alfred M. Buranck, Metal Mining in Utah Since the Depression and Through the Post-War Years, 1935 to 1950, Circular No. 37, The Utah Geological and Mineralogical Survey (Salt Lake City; 1950);
• James B. Allen, "The Changing Impact of Mining on the Economy of Twentieth Century Utah," Utah Historical Quarterly, Vol 38 (Summer, 1970), pages 240-255;
• Utah Mining Association, Utah's Mining Industry (3rd edition) August, 1967.

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