Tintic, Iron King Mine
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This page was last updated on September 26, 2025.
Overview
(The focus of this page is the surface workings of the Sioux mine, as visible in photographs, as well as a general description of the mine, with minimal coverage of the geology and financial returns. Also to establish a timeline using sources not previously readily available.)
(There was another Iron King Consolidated Mining company incorporated in October 1907, with offices in Logan, Cache County, Utah, with different organizers, officers and directors. Within a short period of time, the name was changed to the Cache Iron King Consolidated Mining company.)
(In June 1912, there was a West Tintic Iron King Consolidated Mining company.)
By 1927 the Iron King Consolidated mine at Tintic embraced 425 acres and 34 lode mining claims, all of which were patented. For many years the Iron King was a periodic producer of iron ore at or near the surface, shipping about 18,000 tons during 1926. This iron ore was shipped to the Columbia Steel blast furnace at Ironton, Utah. The iron ore from the Iron King mine consisted of iron and manganese oxides with some "amorphous silicia" identical to the deposits in the Dragon Consolidated and Black Jack mines in the southern part of the Tintic mining district. (Report of the Iron King Consolidated Mines Co., by G. W. Crane, 1927)
By the time of its closure the Iron King No. 2 shaft, opened in 1923, had a depth of 492 feet, and the connecting tunnel was into the mountain a distance of 5,000 feet. The Iron King No. 1 shaft, opened in 1908, had a depth of 1,545 feet
Iron King Mine
May 25, 1907
The Iron King Consolidated Mining company was organized to mine 500 acres of mineral bearing ground in the vicinity of the Colorado and Beck Tunnel groups in the Tintic district. (Salt Lake Telegram, May 25, 1907)
May 30, 1907
The Iron King Consolidated Mining company filed its articles of incorporation with the Utah County clerk on May 30, 1907. The property consisted of the Iron King No. 1, the Iron Placer, each at 160 acres, the Noon iron mines, and the Golden Chariot group of four claims. C. E. Loose, with the majority of stock, was president and manager, (Deseret News, May 30, 1907)
June 13, 1907
The property transferred to the Iron King Consolidated Mining company included the following: Golden Chariot Mining company (including the Golden Chariot No. 1 to No. 4 claims); Utah Valley Iron King company (including the Iron Placer No. 1 and No. 2); the N. W. Roberts claim; and the Clinton claim. All located in the Tintic mining district. (Salt Lake Tribune, June 14, 1907)
June 14, 1907
"Shaft for Iron King. -- The sinking of a shaft on the Iron King, a new East Tintic corporation, started the other day. The Iron King ground takes in the big iron deposits to the east of the Knight properties, and C. E. Loose, Reed Smoot and associates own the bulk of the stock. It is the intention of the management to put the shaft down several hundred feet, believing that deposits of richer ore are to be found beneath the iron. New machinery will arrive soon and the Iron King owners have made arrangements with the Sioux Company for water from the Gough springs and work upon a pipe line for conveying the water to the new «haft will be commenced at once." (Eureka Reporter, June 14, 1907)
August 2, 1907
"Secures Shaft House. -- C. E. Loose and William Hatfield were up from Provo on Saturday and closed a deal for the purchase of the shaft house of the Four Aces mine at Silver City. This shaft house will be moved over to the Iron King property in East Tintic upon which a shaft in now being sunk. The building is in good condition and is a very commodious structure. J. E. O’Brien, a local carpenter, has secured the contract for moving the building to the Iron King property and the work has already commenced. The Iron King Company has purchased new machinery which will be operated by electricity and the management intends to lose no time in sinking the shaft. P. J. Donnelly, superintendent of the Grand Central mine, will also superintend the development of the Iron King." (Eureka Reporter, August 2, 1907)
October 11, 1907
"Iron King Sinking. -- The new hoisting plant at the Iron King was started up last Sunday and according to reports from the property the new equipment is working perfectly. The shaft was put down something like 55 feet before the machinery was installed and now splendid time will be made with the sinking of the shaft." (Eureka Reporter, October 11, 1907)
June 28, 1908
"On the Iron King, which is owned largely by C. E. Loose of Provo and local people of Eureka, work has been taken up in earnest. Before the shutdown last fall the shaft was down about 185 feet. Now two shifts are at work sending it down as fast as possible, and before any prospecting will be commenced by drifting from the shaft it will be down to the 1,000-foot mark. P. J. Donnelly, superintendent of the Grand Central mine, has charge of the ground, and Nick Roberts is his foreman." (Salt Lake Herald, June 28, 1908)
September 11, 1908
"Iron King Down 400 Feet. -- Supt. P. J. Donnelly states that the shaft at the Iron King property has now reached a depth of about 400 feet. The tunnel which the company is running will crosscut the formation for distance of about 6,000 feet. This tunnel will come pretty near getting beneath the big iron deposits and the management believes that it is beneath this iron ore that the richer ores will be found." (Eureka Reporter, September 11, 1908)
October 8, 1908
"The Iron King has a shaft down 400 feet and a tunnel is being driven on the vein to connect with the shaft at the 500 level. There is already exposed great quantities of iron ore carrying small values in gold and silver. This ore could be handled profitably at any time, by working it on a large scale, but Colonel Loose for the present is intent upon getting to the bodies of richer ore which he is positive will be found at greater depth." (Salt Lake Herald, October 8, 1908)
February 20, 1909
The tunnel was in a distance of 600 feet. (Salt Lake Telegram, February 20, 1909, on the occasion of a dynamite accident that killed two workers driving the tunnel)
August 23, 1909
The tunnel was in a distance of 1,400 feet.
(Salt Lake Herald, August 23, 1909)
October 24, 1909
"Iron King To Double Its Force In Tunnel. -- After striking the iron on the 400-foot level of the Iron King mine, which was the sole object of the management in drifting on that level, the force has been withdrawn from that part of the mine for the reason that more power is now needed in the long tunnel which is being driven from the east. A new engine, blower and 10-inch pipe line are now being put in. The tunnel is now in a distance of about 1,700 feet; 4-1/2 feet has been the average daily break so far. When the new equipment is put in place, Nick Roberts, the superintendent, says that his record will be doubled, as another shift will be put on when the blower makes it possible for two shifts to get good air." (Salt Lake Herald, October 24, 1909)
November 8, 1909
The Iron King Mining company was driving a horizontal tunnel from the mountainside to meet with its original shaft. Work on taking the shaft to deeper depths was temporarily suspended to put more men to work on driving the tunnel into the known Black Stallion body of iron ore. Shipping from this ore body would allow the company to ship iron ore and make enough money to pay expenses. The tunnel was in a distance of 1,709 feet, and expecting to hit the body of iron ore within and additional 800 to 1,000 feet. The tunnel was headed for a connection with the main shaft, a distance of about 5,000 feet. After the connection is made, the tunnel would serve as an outlet for the upper workings of the mine. (Salt Lake Herald, November 8, 1909)
April 21, 1910
"The company now has ten teams hauling iron ore to the railroad spur, four miles away, for shipment to the smelters, and is sending out about fifty tons a day. As soon as more teams can be secured seventy-five tons a day will be shipped." (Salt Lake Herald, April 21, 1910)
May 6, 1910
"During the past month the Iron King mine in the eastern end of the district has sent out a total of 20 carloads of iron ore. The ore has been billed out from Goshen, being loaded at the Iron Spur near Elberta, and for this reason the tonnage from the mine has not been shown in our weekly report of the ore shipments. The agent at Goshen will, however, in the future supply us with a report showing the weekly shipments from this mine. In this week's list of ore shipments the Iron King is credited with 20 cars which represent the output from the mine for the past month or since the company started the shipment of iron ore something like a month ago. The mine is now sending out fully 50 tons of ore daily according to Superintendent Nick Roberts who expects to be able to keep the output up to this figure for an indefinite period. Work in the Iron King tunnel is going along as usual." (Eureka Reporter, May 6, 1910)
September 16, 1910
"The force at the Iron King mine was reduced this week, the night shift being dispensed with for the present. At this time one shift is being used in the tunnel and only the day shift is working upon the iron deposits from which regular shipments are being made. The profit upon the iron ore is paying the operating expenses of the mine." (Eureka Reporter, September 16, 1910)
October 14, 1910
"The Iron King mine in East Tintic is now shipping enough ore to meet the regular expense account, from four to eight cars being sent out each week. In the mining of this ore the caving system is used very successfully. The big tunnel at the Iron King is now nearing the point where the ore should be encountered." (Eureka Reporter, October 14, 1910)
December 30, 1910
"George Parker, superintendent of the Iron King mine, states that the big tunnel is now in a distance of over 3,000 feet and is going forward at the rate of about 5 feet each day. The Iron King is sending out a very heavy tonnage of iron ore which is now paying for all operating expenses and prospecting work." (Salt Lake Mining Review, December 30, 1910)
February 20, 1911
The shaft house and other outbuildings at the Iron King mine were totally destroyed by fire. (Deseret News, February 20, 1911, "this morning")
February 28, 1911
"Arrangements have been concluded whereby the compressor at the Montana group will be pressed into service to supply air for the Iron King mine, so that work can be immediately resumed at the latter place. Owing to recent fire at the Iron King the machinery was damaged so badly that it will take a considerable time before it can operate again, and it is probable that no effort will be made to rebuild the shaft house until the early spring, as great difficulty would be experienced in getting the material on the ground, owing to the condition of the roads. The work will be resumed in the raise which is being cut from the big tunnel to the surface for the purpose of getting a circulation of air. The tunnel is in a little more than 3,000 feet and it makes it extremely difficult, not to say hazardous, for the miners to work at the face without better ventilation." (Salt Lake Herald, February 28, 1911)
March 20, 1911
"Owing to the recent fire at the Iron King mine the property has been closed down until last week when operations were resumed. The company secured the use of the compressor formerly used at the Montana property, which will be ample for the time being to operate the drills at the Iron King, until a new hoisting plant can he installed and new machinery purchased, which will be done as soon as the roads are in a condition to haul material to the mine." (Salt Lake Tribune, March 20, 1911)
April 10, 1911
"The tunnel at the Iron King mine, in the eastern end of the district, has reached a point beneath the large iron deposits from which this company has shipped quite heavily in the past. It is understood that the raise from the tunnel level was started for the purpose of opening up some of this iron ore and while the shipment of this fluxing product was suspended some time ago a heavy tonnage will find its way to market again just as soon as the ore can be tapped from this tunnel. By opening the Iron from below and taking it out through the tunnel the expenses of mining will be greatly reduced and the company's revenue Increased correspondingly." (Salt Lake Tribune, April 10, 1911)
June 23, 1911
"George Parker, superintendent at the Iron King mine, was in camp today and states that the raise from the tunnel level, has been extended through to the surface a distance of 343 feet. One of the main objects in driving this raise was to give the big tunnel better ventilation but it was also the means of prospecting a very likely piece of ground. At the present time the Iron King is being developed in two directions, the main tunnel is being driven rapidly forward and a crosscut is also being sent out from the tunnel level. The crosscut has been under way for the past two weeks." (Eureka Reporter, June 23, 1911)
July 16, 1911
"At the present time there is no work going on in the main tunnel of the Iron King mine, but Superintendent George Parker is driving a couple of lateral drifts in a northerly direction. One of these drifts leaves the main tunnel at or near its face and the other something like 600 feet back. The work of timbering the main tunnel between these two points is also under way, timbers being absolutely necessary on account of the soft character of the ground. These timbers are being put in very rapidly, however, and Mr. Parker states that the timbermen can make as high as ten feet daily. The showing in these lateral drifts is quite good at this time and iron ore is coming in in small quantities." (Salt Lake Tribune, July 16, 1911)
February 9, 1912
The Iron King mine was closed due to the company not being to find a market for its iron ore that would provide the profit the company needed, following six separate assessments against stockholders to meet existing obligations. The company had not abandoned the idea of finding lead-silver-gold ores beneath the iron ore body. Although the iron ore body was very large, the sale of iron ore was not fulfilling the expenses of the company. During 1911, a tunnel had been extended 840 feet, and a total of 600 feet of raises had been driven upwards. A total of 760 feet of crosscuts and drifts had been driven. All of this development work in hopes of finding precious metal ore. A total of 100,000 tons of iron ore had been blocked out and was ready to be "broken down" and shipped when a contract is signed. (Deseret News, March 2, 1912)
February 16, 1912
"The Iron King mine in the eastern end of the district has been closed down, presumably because the management did not care to continue the development of the big deposit of iron while there is no market for this product. For several months past the men employed under Supt. George Parker have been developing the iron ore, the work being handled through the main tunnel, and it is safe to say that the ore which is now blocked out in that part of the mine exceeds 100,000 tons. All of the smelters need iron ore but most of the plants own their own iron mines and, while they cannot produce ore at their own properties any cheaper than they can get it in Tintic, it is of course to their interests to work their own ground. There are reasons to believe that the iron deposits of this section will eventually pass into the hands of the smelters, the ore being of a better grade than that produced in other parts of the state." (Eureka Reporter, February 16, 1912)
(George Parker, superintendent of the Iron King, quit and left Eureka and moved his family in April 1912 to take a position in Yerington, Nevada. -- Eureka Reporter, April 26, 1912)
1914
"Iron King Mining Co. -- Property is in Tintic district and has not yet found a body of silver-lead ore. Assessments of 1 cent a share have paid for development work. Mine has a 600 feet shaft and a 3,500 feet tunnel, planned to be driven 6,000 feet eventually. The mine shows large quantities of iron ore, 100,000 tons being, it is said, blocked out and ready for stoping. Mine closed down March, 1912, owing to inability to market the iron ore at a profitable figure." (The Copper Handbook, Volume XI, 1914, page 480)
March 21, 1917
C. E. Loose, owner of the Iron King mine, stated that "as soon as the weather is favorable he would commence active development work at all of his properties that are now not producing. He said the Iron King work on lowering the shaft would commence at once." The shaft was down 500 feet and had passed through the iron ore and same lime formations recently encountered in the adjoining Tintic Standard mine before its big ore body had been struck. Loose also controlled the Gold Chain and Grand Central mines at Tintic, as well as the Big Indian mine in southern Utah. (Salt Lake Telegram, March 21, 1917)
December 30, 1917
"The Iron King Mining company again started development in September of this year after being idle for several years. This property id located to the southeast of Eureka, and the control is owned by Colonel C. E. Loose of Provo." A new 350-foot raise was being driven from the tunnel level up to the surface. New machinery will be installed at the new location and then the company will sink a new shaft. (Salt Lake Tribune, December 30, 1917)
June 18, 1917
"Work To Start On Iron King Mine. -- General Manager C. E. Loose stated today that work would start at once on the Iron King mine. The work will be let out on contract and will not be a very aggressive campaign for the present." (Provo Daily Herald, June 18, 1917)
August 17, 1917
"After visiting the Iron King Col. Loose decided upon some slight changes in the campaign of work which was recently taken up there. In the first place the new shaft is to be sunk from the main tunnel, and not from a point about 250 feet distant as first reported. Directly above the point where sinking is to be taken up there is a raise through from the tunnel to the surface and this raise will be enlarged and turned into a working shaft, enabling the management to place a large hoisting plant on the surface. A small engine is to be placed in the tunnel and used in the first 500 or 600 feet of sinking and while this and the enlargement of the raise is under way the Iron King people will have ample time to install their permanent hoisting equipment. At the present time the compressor plant at the Montana property, adjoining, is being used by the Iron King." (Eureka Reporter, August 17, 1917)
1918
"Iron King Mining Co. -- Property is in Tintic district and has not yet found a body of silver-lead ore. Assessments of 1 cent a share have paid for development work. Mine has a 600 feet shaft and a 3,500 feet tunnel, planned to be driven 6,000 feet eventually. The mine shows large quantities of iron ore, 100,000 tons being, it is said, blocked out and ready for stoping. Mine closed down March, 1912, owing to inability to market the iron ore at a profitable figure, but was re-opened in April, 1917. A new shaft is being sunk from the tunnel level and contracts arranged for sale of the iron ore." (The Copper Handbook, Volume XIII, 1918, page 1412)
March 9, 1919
When the Goshen Valley railroad built its spur to the Tintic Standard mine at Dividend, it also built a 2.1 mile spur to the Iron King mine at a station the railroads called Iron King. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 9, 1919)
(The spur to the Tinic Standard mine was completed and was operated as the Goshen Valley Railroad until 1928, when it became the Goshen Valley Branch. The spur to the Iron King mine was called the Iron King Spur.)
March 9, 1919
Construction of the Goshen Valley railroad began in mid March 1919. The purpose was to serve the Tintic Standard and Iron King mines. Contracts had been awarded to Utah Construction company, with work to star before March 20th. The railroad was to extend from the Iron Spur siding on the railroad's Tintc Branch, two miles west of Elberta, then direct to the Tintic Standard mine, a distance of seven miles, with a 2.1-mile spur to the Iron King mine. With all the tracks and sidetracks, the total distance was to be ten miles. The grade of the new branch was to be 3 percent for the first four miles, then 4 percent for the remainder to the Tintic Standard mine. The rail to be laid was 80-pound rail. Upon completion the new railroad was to lease its locomotives and equipment from D&RGW. Other mines in the immediate area to be served by the new railroad included the Eureka Lilly, Eureka Bullion, Eureka Standard, South Standard, and the Apex Standard. The officers of the railroad were E. J. Raddatz, president (president of the Tintic Standard mine); C. E. Loose, vice-president (president of the Iron King mine; and W. L. Synder, secretary. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 9, 1919)
March 30, 1919
"East Tintic to Have a Railroad", article about the Goshen Valley Railroad. To be built by Utah Construction Company to overcome a long haul by auto-trucks from the Tintic Standard mine. Officers were E. J. Raddatz, president, C. E. Loose, of Provo, vice president, and W. I. Snyder, secretary. Raddatz was also the manager of the Tintic Standard. (Salt Lake Mining Review, March 30, 1919)
(Read more about the Goshen Valley Branch)
1919
D&RG began operating the newly completed Goshen Valley Railroad, under contract. (LeMassena, p. 131)
January 17, 1920
The Iron King Mining Co. erected a gallows frame and installed an electric hoist and compressor plant. (Engineering and Mining Journal, January 17, 1920, V109-N3, page 153)
May 1, 1920
"The Iron King, which began daily shipment on April 1 of a car of fluxing iron ore over the recently completed Goshen Valley Railroad, has been forced to stop shipping for a time owing to the car shortage." (Engineering and Mining Journal, May 1, 1920, V109-N18, page 1044)
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