Tintic, Knight Mines and Mills
Index For This Page
This page was last updated on October 18, 2025.
(The focus of this page is the surface workings of the mines of the Knight Investment company, as visible in photographs, as well as a general description of the mines, with minimal coverage of the geology and financial returns. Also to establish a timeline using sources not previously readily available.)
Knight Investment Company
Mines usually associated with the Knight Investment Company at Tintic:
Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining Co.
Black Jack Consolidated Mining Co.
Bonneville Mining Co.
Colorado Mining Co.
Dragon Consolidated Mining Co.
East Tintic Coalition Mining Company
Eureka Bullion Mining Company (after 1931)
Iron Blossom Consolidated Mining Co.
Knight Woolen Mills.
Lucky Boy Consolidated Mining Co.
North Lily Mining Company
North Lily Knight Company
Opex Consolidated Mining Co.
Rico-Wellington Mining Co.
Tintic Bullion Mining Company (after 1931)
Tintic Milling Company.
"Another important success, achieved by Jesse Knight, was the discovery of the Iron Blossom and Godiva ore zones. In 1881 he began a tunnel on the northeasterly slope of Godiva Mountain, in an area of highly altered Deseret limestone. At 450 feet he encountered the great Humbug ore shoot, one of the richest lead-silver deposits in the district. Other mines subsequently developing extensions of this discovery were the Uncle Sam, Colorado, Sioux, and the Iron Blossom mines." (Geology and Ore Deposits of Tintic Mining District, Utah Geological Society, 1957, page 77)
Jesse Knight passed away on March 14, 1921.
(Read the Wikipedia article about Jesse Knight)
(Read the Utah Historical Quarterly article about Jesse Knight; PDF; 16 pages; 3.7MB)
Knight Mines
"In the early nineteen hundreds, activity shifted to the east where the Iron Blossom vain was discovered and developed for two miles. Along this single ore channels the Iron Blossom, Colorado, Beck Tunnel, Sioux and Dragon mines discovered and mined the ore. Ten years later activity had drifted two miles further east where the Tintic Standard was discovered, which was followed by discovery of the North Lily, Eureka Standard and Eureka Lilly, the main source of production from the district in recent years." (The Mining Industry In Utah, Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce, 1947, page 27)
May 13, 1919
The Tintic Bullion Mining company filed its articles of incorporation. The properties included three mining claims: Eureka Bullion; Big Hill; and East Tintic. The company was preparing to commence operations, and expected to sink a shaft. (Provo Post, May 13, 1919) (The Tintic Bullion was located immediately west and adjoining the North Lily and Eureka Lily mines.)
July 3, 1929
Excerpts from the Deseret News, July 3, 1929.
A $1,000,000 mining deal, one of the largest in Utah mining in recent years, was completed today with the announcement of the acquisition by the International Smelting company, through its subsidiary the North Lily Mining company, of control of all the holdings of the Knight Investment company of Provo, in the Tintic, Eureka, mining district.
Negotiations between the two interests have been under way for several months, and the transaction was completed today when the final agreements were signed by J. O. Elton, manager of the smelting company, and J. William Knight, for the Knight Investment company
The properties involved include control of the Twentieth Century, Big Hill, Empire Mines, Dragon Consolidated, Eureka Swansea, Middle Swansea, Swansea Consolidated, Tintic Drain Tunnel, and substantial interest in Tintic Central, Southern Eureka and North Godiva.
The area of ground is 6,159 acres of patented mining claims, 346 acres of unpatented mining claims, surface rights to 1,739 acres and a contract on 880 acres, a total of 9,127 acres of ground.
The new holding and parent company formed was known as the North Lily Knight company, and would take over all of the Knight properties in Tintic. Development of the mines was to be financed by dividends of the North Lily Mining company.
September 18, 1929
In a special meeting of the stockholders of the Knight Investment company held on September 18, 1929, the stockholders voted the transfer of all Knight Investment properties in the Tintic district to a new corporation called North Lily Knight company, including patented and unpatented mining claims, and stock in other corporations. The new corporation was to be controlled by the North Lily Mining company, with an agreement that the North Lily Mining company would furnish the needed funding to develop the former Knight Investment company properties, beginning with the re-timbering and enlargement of the Big Hill mine's shaft and further development of the Big Hill mine, and further development of the Empire and Twentieth Century mines. The sale included 6,159 acres of patented mining land, 349 acres of unpatented mining land, 1,719 acres of non-mining land, 20 acres of surface rights, and 880 acres of mining land under patent application. (Deseret News, September 18, 1929)
The Knight Investment company properties included:
-- Big Hill Mining company;
-- Defender Mining and Milling company;
-- Empire Mines company;
-- Eureka Hill Railway company;
-- Eureka Swansea Extension;
-- Knight Drain Tunnel;
-- Middle Swansea;
-- Tintic Drain Tunnel;
-- Twentieth Century Mining company;
-- a minority interest in the North Godiva and Tintic Central Mining companies.
The September 19, 1929 issue of the Eureka Reporter showed the Knight Investment properties as:
-- Big Hill
-- Dragon Consolidated
-- Empire Mines
-- Eureka Swansea
-- Middle Swansea
-- Swansea Consolidated
-- Tintic Drain Tunnel
-- Twentieth Century
-- substantial interest in North Godiva
-- substantial interest in Southern Eureka
-- substantial interest in Tintic Central
(The first mention in online newspapers of International Smelting taking over the Knight Investment properties was in the September 29, 1929 issue of the Eureka Reporter.)
July 25, 1930
At a special meeting held on July 25, 1930, the stockholders ratified the agreement to transfer all property and assets of the Knight Investment Co., to the new North Lily-Knight Company, which is backed by the International Mining & Smelting Co. (Eureka Reporter, July 10, 1930; July 31, 1930)
November 6, 1931
Excerpts from the Deseret News, November 6, 1931.
In a $400,000 deal, Anaconda's International Smelting company took ownership of selected properties of the Chief Consolidated Mining company. Included were: 75 percent ownership of Eureka Bullion Mining company stock; full deed and ownership of the Tintic Bullion Mining company and its property; several hundred acres of mining ground adjacent to the North Lily Mining property on the west, north and east; two leases of Chief Consolidated property; a five-year smelting contract for all ores produced by the Chief Consolidated Mining company.
The Chief Consolidated previously had no interest in selling any of its property, but its current indebtedness, together with low metal prices, made the sale necessary. All of the ground sold was in development and not yet producing.
The ground adjoining the Tintic Bullion property would be leased in the form of two separate leases to the North Lily Mining company, a subsidiary of the International Smelting company.
The Eureka Bullion company was currently under lease to the North Lily company, and the North Lily company would take the 75 percent ownership share. The Eureka Bullion company's shaft was down 1200 feet and an ore zone was being worked by laterals and winzes. Another ore zone within the Eureka Bullion ground was being worked from the 1600 Level of the adjacent Big Hill shaft, which is part of the Tintic Bullion ground.
After Knight Investment
After 1929-1930, almost all activity in the former Knight mines took place under the controlling interest of the North Lily Mining company, a subsidiary of International Smelting company, which in-turn was a subsidiary of the Anaconda company.
North Lily Mining Company
The North Lily Mining company was the holding company for all of the former Knight properties in the Tintic Mining District after Anaconda's International Smelting company bought the Knight interests in 1931.
May 18, 1958
Anaconda, through its subsidiary International Smelting company, controlled the following former Knight companies. (Provo Sunday Herald, May 18, 1958)
Big Hill Mining company
Defender Mining and Milling company
Empire Mines company
Eureka Swansea Extension Mining company
Middle Swansea Mining company
New Southern Eureka Mining company
North Godiva Consolidated Mining company
North Lily Mining company
Swansea Consolidated Mining company
Tintic Drain Tunnel company
(Although incomplete, research suggests that none of the North Lily Mining company properties -- former Knight Investment company properties -- were part of the renewed activity in the Tintic district under the Kennecott lease of 1955. Except for the Dragon Consolidated mine, none of the North Lily properties were active during the early 1970s when Anaconda, especially after closing its International smelter in 1972, began arrangements to merge and consolidate its holdings in the Tintic district.)
(Read more about the North Lily Mining company)
Dragon Consolidated Mine and Halloysite (after 1949)
The Dragon Consolidated Mining company was one of the earliest mining projects of Jesse Knight and his associates. It was a successful operation until, like all the Tintic properties went into a slump after World War II. The Dragon mine was saved by the discovery of a unique type of clay material known as Halloysite, after which the mine was one of the success stories of all mines in Utah.
(Read more about the Dragon Consolidated mine and Halloysite)
Knight Mills
Tintic Milling Co. -- Information about the Tintic Milling company at Silver City, on the site of the closed Tintic Smelting company.
Knight Smelter
Tintic Smelter -- Information about the Tintic Smelter at Silver City, Utah, in operation from 1908 to 1915.
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