Tintic, Jesse Knight

Were you ever broke and then broke into a. million dollars? If you never did, what do you think you would do? Would you run around crazy like, or would you settle down and make that money serve you and mankind the rest of your life? Jesse Knight chose the latter course and I guess his name will always be revered in Utah. I didn't have the opportunity of interviewing the head of the Knight family before he died and that is a matter of personal regret. However, Will Knight gave me some sidelights on his father's character which should prove interesting to his friends. Will was telling me the story of his own life, but it was so closely connected with his dad's that the two can very well be told together.

We sat in front of the fireplace in Will's home at Provo and he made me feel that millions won from the earth should be used to develop more of the earth's resources and give employment to people and build homes and make people happy. The fact that he participates in the handling of the vast Knight estate has not made him puffed up or over proud. He's just a plain good fellow, and I can well imagine that he and his father were pretty good pals.

This is the way Will told it to me as the firelight flickered and glowed.

Find Million-Dollar Mine.

It seems that Jesse talked to mining men every time he got a chance while he was running his ranch at Payson. Furthermore, he went out into the hills and studied the geological lay of the land around Mount Godiva. He traced the lime contact and finally put his finger down and said. "This should be a mine."

Will was sixteen at the time but he was a husky young fellow and he and his father started a tunnel on the side of the mountain on the Humbug claim. Thomas Leetham worked for them.

One day Will ran onto a piece of float up the mountain side as big as a small bucket. When they broke it open it proved to be spar ore carrying about 26 ounces silver.

They went up the mountain and found the outcrop and then went back and worked on the tunnel. Will and Thomas used the single jack in the face and Jesse wheeled the waste to the dump. One day they broke into the ore and it was some ore. Jesse wheeled out a barrow load, dumped it, threw down the barrow, hitched up his trousers and said, "This is the last hard day's work I ever expect to do with my hands. Hereafter I shall plan work and opportunities for others." It seems that he had a hunch and they did take out a million dollars from that one vein.

Prior to that time, Will said, Jesse Knight had been having a sort of mental battle with himself. He didn't know whether he wanted to be a "Mormon" or not. His brother belonged to the Liberal party but his mother was a Latter-day Saint of the most devout kind. Then one day as he sat on the side of Mount Godiva he heard a voice above his heart distinctly say, "This country is here for the 'Mormons.'" Up to that time he had never been very devout in any kind of religion but there he had a change of heart. With it came an uncanny faculty of finding ore in many of his undertakings. He believed he was inspired by some higher power and he sought ever after to make amends for his religious dereliction and cheerfully assumed very great responsibilities.

Jesse bought the Uncle Sam claim from the McChrystal Brothers for $25,000.00 and began a tunnel on the north end of Godiva mountain close to the Humbug property. Before the payments were all due, he discovered another big ore body which produced $700,000.00. He sold the Humbug and the Uncle Sam properties for $750,000.00. Then he began buying properties lower down on the mountain including the Beck Tunnel, the Colorado, Iron Blossom and Dragon Consolidated. None were then considered valuable, and people thought Jesse was crazy in the head, but these mines all became big producers, turning out between four and five millions.

That tells about how Jesse got his start, but we are talking about the life of Will Knight, so we had best go back a bit.

Brought Up On Ranch.

Will was brought up on the Payson ranch and all the youngsters had their own horses which they trained for racing. Jesse was born in Illinois and Will's grandfather died on the Missouri when he started across the plains. Jesse went back to that spot after he got a little money and put up a monument in memory of his father. The names of many of the pioneers in that party are inscribed on a bronze tablet.

Jesse's mother came over the plains with seven children. They drove an ox and a cow and when they reached Salt Lake they milked the cow and made butter. When she had the first pound of butter, she called all the children together and asked for a vote on whether or not they should give the first pound to the Church as tithing. They voted unanimously so to do and the family never wanted for butter afterwards.

Will was a great milker and was there with the pitchfork in the hayfields. He rode horseback to school at Payson in the days when the ruler was a fearsome weapon. He made his first money putting up hay for Tom Wimmer. He drew down fifty cents a day but stuck around very assiduously because he liked the Wimmer girls. He was only 12 years old at the time, but none of the young blades around there had anything on him for being a sport. He entered his pony every time there was a race at Payson and he would bet 'em money, marbles or chalk.

One day he and his brother Ray were out planting corn with their father. It was hot and sweaty and Ray said he would rather take a licking than plant corn. Jesse immediately obliged him by giving him a good hiding with a willow and telling him to go over and sit down under a tree. Will got to thinking it over and said he too would rather take a licking than plant corn. So he got one. Then Jesse said. "I've always tried to treat you boys right and give you money and now you are able to help earn a living, if you do not care to do so, go sit in the shade and I will do the work myself." Will felt ashamed and that little sermon on gratitude held him to his job, although he was still smarting around the seat of his breeches.

He graduated from the B. Y. U. in 1894 and went on a mission to Great Britain in 1896. He moved to Provo when he was 18 years of age.

How Humbug Was Named

In the meantime Jesse Knight talked mines to anyone who happened along. One of these was Jared Roundy who was superintendent of the Spy mine, then the only operating property in the East Tintic district, "We had some claims near the Spy, which father had located, and Col. C. E. Loose owned the Sioux. We sold him the June Bug. I worked a few days in the Utah mine as mucker, but father discouraged me from that, saying that it was not a good idea to work for other folks but better to get a mine of your own to work. It wasn't long after that that we discovered the Humbug. It got its name from Roundy when father tried to interest him in it, said he wouldn't take a chance on such a humbug as that, so when he wrote out the notice of location for father it was named "Humbug."

Later Will went to Canada and bought a township and a half of land near Lethbridge in Alberta. He stocked it and when Jesse came up he was so impressed that he bought 240,600 acres [a bit more than a full township] more and built a sugar factory. That was the mill afterwards moved to West Cache and which created such a battle in the courts. The sugar industry did not thrive in Canada, but it is a great farming and stock raising country. Will lived in Canada for five years. He was the first bishop of Raymond ward, named for his brother.

Will was put in as general manager of mines about 1905 and was nominated for governor of the state on the Democratic ticket in 1908. His father had declined the nomination and Will went into the race against William Spry and was defeated in a Republican year.

Man of Many Titles.

Will has more titles behind his name than a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, but they all have something to do with productive enterprises. Aside from having served as state senator, he's got his fingers on a dozen big concerns that are making Utah history. He is manager of the Spring Canyon Coal company, turning out 2,000 tons a day; is active in Utah Ore Sampling company; the Knight Woolen Mills; the Tintic Milling company; the Tintic Drain Tunnel, now in a mile and projected for five miles more; the Layton Sugar factory; vice president of the Knight Investment company; president of the Knight Trust & Savings Bank; vice president of the Provo Reservoir and Utah Lake Irrigation companies; Alberta Land & Irrigation company; and the Mountain Lake Mining company, adjoining the Daly Judge at the head of Big Cottonwood and Snake creek.

Three years ago the Knight interests acquired one million acres in Colombia, South America. This tract has wonderful possibilities in gold, mineral, hardwood and livestock. Outside of that Will has scarcely a thing to do, and apparently he isn't worrying about it. He says he hopes to live up to his dad's expectations and do something with all these properties that will add to the sum of human happiness.