Tintic, Lower Mammoth Mine

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This page was last updated on December 11, 2025.

Lower Mammoth Mining Co.

(The focus of this page is the surface workings of the Lower Mammoth 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.)

(The Lower Mammoth, Colconda and Hungarian claims that made up the Lower Mammoth Mining company group were located immediately southwest of the more famous Copperopolis claim, which was part of the larger Ajax property. The Black Jack claim mentioned later, was immediately south of the Lower Mammoth ground.)

August 25, 1896
The Lower Mammoth Mining company "was incorporated a few weeks ago." The officers were: J. F. Woodman, president; John Beck, vice president; S. M. McCornick, treasurer; with Mr. Barnett, Mr. Kimball, Judge J. Burton, and Isador Morris as additional directors. Frank Azzalia was superintendent. The shaft was down to a depth of 377 feet and was nearing commercial ore. (Deseret News, August 25, 1896)

December 1, 1897
"At the Lower Mammoth, another compressed air drill is being put in and that the shaft is being sunk as rapidly as possible to the 500-foot level. The shaft is now in a fine body of ore and the indications are most encouraging." (Salt Lake Tribune, December 1, 1897)

December 26, 1897
"Across the gulch the shaft in the Lower Mammoth is in good shipping ore, and several shipments have been made. In the latter part of November a strike of copper was reported in this mine similar to the ore found in the Ajax. The mine was recently equipped with a steam hoist, and has a brilliant future in store for it." (Salt Lake Tribune, December 26, 1897)

(Between 1898 and 1903, the stock of the Lower Mammoth company was active on the Salt Lake Stock Exchange, with regular almost daily reports of highs and lows of the price of Lower Mammoth stock. There were very few reports of physical progress at the mine itself, except for occasional reports of a new strike, with samples dutifully presented at the various newspaper offices and at the company offices in Salt Lake City. There were no reports of carloads of ore being shipped. Such activity suggests stock manipulation, rather than active mining and ore production.)

January 13, 1903
The Lower Mammoth Mining company stockholders met and elected a new board of directors. The new directors were: John Dern; James Chipman; C. W. Chipman; H. G. McMillan, Solon Spiro; and A. C. Ellis, Jr. (Deseret News, January 13, 1903)

January 16, 1903
The Lower Mammoth Mining company board elected the following officers: James Chipman, president and general manager; Adrian C. Ellis, Jr., vice president; R. C. Cordell, secretary; W. S. Chipman, treasurer. The offices were moved to the Utah National Bank. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 16, 1903)

May 4, 1903
"James Chípman, manager of the Uncle Sam and Lower Mammoth Mining companies, says that the properties of these companies are looking better. The Uncle Sam has two cars of ore now on the market that runs $5 in gold, 114 ounces silver and 8.3 per cent lead; the Lower Mammoth has one carload that goes $2 gold and 99 ounces silver." (Salt Lake Telegram, May 4, 1903)

May 6, 1903
William Ball was superintendent of the Lower Mammoth mine. He had been retained in that position during the recent reorganization. The Lower Mammoth shaft was down to the depth of 1400 feet. The company had recently broke into a cave with ore as rich as 100 ounces of silver. (Salt Lake Tribune, May 6, 1903)

June 25, 1903
The miners of the Lower Mammoth had encountered a rich vein of ore on the 1100 level, which continued into the adjacent Black Jack ground. All work was suspended and no ore would be extracted until a clear boundary could be surveyed to determine the exact boundary. The survey was to be a joint action with the Black Jack company. (Salt Lake Tribune, June 25, 1903)

(Davis Evans was manager of the Black Jack company, and Jesse Knight was the owner. -- Salt Lake Tribune, July 10, 1903; October 20, 1903)

October 20, 1903
The court fight between the Lower Mammoth company and the Black Jack company opened in federal court in Salt Lake City. The Lower Mammoth company was claiming extra-lateral rights to the disputed mineral vein, meaning that the the apex of the ore vein was within their ground, and they were free to pursue the vein as far as desired. The Black Jack company was plaintiff, and the Lower Mammoth company was defendant. The Black Jack company was incorporated in Wyoming. (Salt Lake Tribune, October 20, 1903)

(Although the Lower Mammoth company stated in June that they had withdrawn from the disputed ground, in fact, they did not and continued to extract ore. The law suit was by the Black Jack company claiming trespass and theft of the ore from their ground, claiming $225,000 in damages. -- Deseret News, October 27, 1903)

January 12, 1904
Simon Bamberger was one of the largest stockholders of the Lower Mammoth Mining company, and on January 11th, the stockholders met and elected Bamberger as president of the company. Also, a new board of directors was elected: Simon Bamberger; W. S. McCornick; A. C. McMillan; A. C. Ellis Jr.; Elias A. Smith; John Dern and H. Park. James Chipman; W. S. Chipman;, and Solon Spiro were retired from the board. (Salt Lake Tribune, January 12, 1904)

January 12, 1904
As reported at the company's annual stockholder meeting, the Lower Mammoth Mining company shipped 5,917 tons of ore from the mine, and from the dump. This tonnage resulted in a combination of silver, gold, lead and copper, with the largest amount being 22 tons of lead. The mine was working on the 1100 and 1200 levels, with a lot of low-grade ore in sight in the mine, as well as "not a little of first class" ore. (Salt Lake Herald, January 12, 1904)

February 2, 1904
"The case of the Black Jack Mining company vs. James Chipman and the Lower Mammoth Mining company, which involved a large piece of the disputed property, was compromised in the United States court by the vertical lines plan. Vertical lines were drawn at the end of one company's claims and at the side lines of the other, this deciding and fixing the boundaries." (Ogden Standard Examiner, February 2, 1904)

February 13, 1904
The Lower Mammoth Mining company had repaired its main shaft, and was again shipping 60 tons of ore per day. (Salt Lake Tribune, February 13, 1904)

(Throughout 1903, 1904, 1905 and 1906, there were 17 assessments against company stock, with each assessment's attendant delinquency that resulted of the stock of numerous minority stockholders being auctioned off, usually to one of the larger stockholders.)

January 9, 1906
From the annual report of the Lower Mammoth Mining company: "One year ago the company was in debt to the tune of $20,000. Since then the mine has been practically opened new from the 1,200 to the 1,500-foot level and great bodies of ore have been opened up. This can now be marketed under the favorable contract entered into with the Ohio & Colorado Smelting & Refining company at a profit that insures the mine's operating expenses and a rapid reduction of the company's recent indebtedness, which is only a trifle more than $15,000. Some heavy obligations of the company were discharged during the year, including $4,639.68 to the Telluride Power company and a balance of $500 to the Black Jack." (Salt Lake Herald, January 9, 1906)

September 10, 1906
The board of directors of the Lower Mammoth Mining company voted ro amend the company articles of incorporation to increase the stock from 150,000 shares to 300,000, with the increased shares being sold to the publice to raise funds to push the main shaft down deeper, to tap the ore veins thought to be there. This was seen as a better method to raise funds and reduce debt compared to the ongoing assessments. (Deseret News, September 10, 1906)

December 5, 1906
"The $40,000 bonds issued by the Lower Mammoth Mining company, were all subscribed for by stockholders of the company. The bonds are convertible into stock of the company, on or before the first of next June, at one dollar per share, bear eight per cent interest and fall due on December 1, 1907. It is expected that the bonds will be exchanged for mining stock long before the time limited for tlie exchange to be made. The purpose of issuing the bonds was to raise sufficient capital with which to equip the mine with hoists, to facilitate the output of ore. Heretofore, the ore had lo be taken out of a winze, and it was simply an impossibility to take it out in this way in commercial quantities. There is no further development work necessary to be done in the mine. The work of development has already been done. The mine has been exploited to the extent that large bodies of ore have been blocked out, sufficient to keep a 100-ton hoist, going for an indefinite period. The machinery for these hoists had already been ordered and it is expected by the management to have the hoists in working order within the next two or three months. At any rate hoisting will begin just as soon as the necessary machinery can be procured and put in commission. The bond issue is regarded ns a wise move, and it is expected that the mine will shortly be put on a dividend-paying basis." (Salt Lake Tribune, December 5, 1906)

January 11, 1907
The Lower Mammoth company had sunk its main shaft down to 1700 feet, then drove a drift to connect with a winze that was sunk down from the 1600 level. The drift, winze and crosscuts were all in the ore, as the company developed the extent of the ore body. A new electric hoist was to be installed at the surface, and another at the 1200 level. The new hoists would allow production of 100 tons per day. (Deseret News, January 11, 1907)

(Beginning in July 1907, the Lower Mammoth Mining company began paying a monthly dividend of 5 cents per share. Like so many of the Tintic mines, ore in commercial quantities was not reached until the 1700 level. The new hoists were installed by mid September 1907, during which time during the past four weeks, the mine was out of production. But the quantity and value of the ore extracted during development at the deeper depths, without the electric hoists, still permitted monthly dividends of 7.5 cents per share, per month.)

March 8, 1908
The Lower Mammoth mine was closed down due to the overall financial conditions which prevented the planned sale of bonds that were to finance the development to deeper depths. With the Knight smelter opening soon, the company had asked the district court to nullify its contracts with the United States Smelting company. The mine will remain closed, with no development work being done until financial conditions improve. (Salt Lake Tribune, Marh 8, 1908)

(The mine was resumed operations in mid May 1908 after a new contract was signed with the Knight's Tintic Smelting company, and after the largest stockholders bought all of the outstanding shares, thereby providing the funds needed to continue operations. -- Salt Lake Herald, April 17, 1908; May 14, 1908)

August 15, 1908
"The Lower Mammoth Mining company starts on today the shipment of ores from the 1600-foot level of the mine. This action is taken at the instance of the directors at their recent meeting, and the shipment today will be the first made by the Lower Mammoth since the courts closed down the smelters of the Salt Lake valley. It is intended to keep up a shipment rate of fifty tons of ore daily, the rock being a carbonate in character. In the meantime, development work on the west fissure on the upper levels, and in virgin ground, will be continued, and something good is looked for at practically any time by the company." (Salt Lake Tribune, August 15, 1908)

August 22, 1908
"It is said that the company is shipping an average of fifty tons of ore a day to the Knight smelter, and while the rock is not very high grade, it is reported as running better than the management had anticipated. The property is now being opened farther on three lower levels, and this work is being paid for and a good surplus will be left over each month, by virtue of the present consignments to market. With a wider market, the company easily can double the present output, and that will mean that much more at little additional expense." (Salt Lake Tribune, August 22, 1908)

September 10, 1908
"On Weduesday the local management of the Lower Mammoth Mining company received a check from the Knight Smelting company calling for something over $1300, that representing the smelter net value of the first two cars of ore recently shipped to this company. The Lower Mammoth has twelve or fifteen more cars now awaiting similar settlements, and the money should be rolling in steadily from now on. So far the company has not marketed any of the rich gold ore encountered in one of the 1600 foot level stopes, but it is thought the first consignment of this rich rock will be forwarded to Ihe market before the end of this week. The Lower Mammoth company has a fine array of resources awaiting extraction from the 1400-foot level to the 1600-foot level, while on and below the 1700-foot level there is a very good tonnage of good ore for future disposition." (Salt Lake Tribune, September 10, 1908)

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