The Tintic Mining District, as delineated for this nomination, comprises an area approximately eight miles square and includes the Main and East Tintic areas, since these areas were the most significant and contain all of the historical resources. This district lies on the western and eastern slopes of the central 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 is bordered on the west by the Tintic arid Rush Valleys, and on the east by Dog Valley, Goshen Valley, and Cedar Valley.

Most of the content of this page is from the nomination form for the District.

Related Posts:

• Railroads of the Tintic Mining District
• Tintic Mining District (Historic Marker in Eureka)
• Tintic Mining Museum.
• Tintic Railroad and the Elberta Slant Train Tunnel.
• Tintic Standard Reduction Mill – Harold, Utah
• Tintic Station, Utah

Mining formed the significant aspect of the district. As, such, mineralization was found primarily in the following ore runs: Centennial-Eureka, Gemini; Mammoth, Chief, Plutus, Godiva, and the Iron Blossom Ore Run. It was in these areas that most mining, commercial, and residential activity took place. Massive headframes, or gallows-frames, dot the area, as these timber-framed and steel-framed structures were utilized to lower and raise men and equipment in cages in and out of mine shafts. Such structures were part of large surface plants operated by mining companies. Adjoining these headframes are large ore dumps, comprised of overburden or low grade ores not suitable for milling or smelting. Large slag dumps, from area smelters, also exist. In addition, dry farms and ranches are evident which aid in documenting another side of this mining district.

Tintic was one of the largest mining districts, in area, in Utah. Development, primarily in the period 1890-1926, occurred at a steady and high pace; of course, taking into, account, the susceptibility of a mining area to economic fluctuations both within the state and nation. Population and mining activity density was also high during the period. Population figures are put at between six to eight thousand people with Eureka City as the district’s center and four other town sites. The area was inundated with shafts and other mine workings as can be viewed on U.S.G.S maps covering the area.

The types of historic resources that are most prominent all involve Tintic’s character as a gold, silver, and lead mining district. Remnants of surface plants of various mining enterprises still exist; and those chosen here are those where the headframes (or gallows) are standing. Commercial, social, and public buildings are still evidenced and continue to function. In addition, examples of homes of pioneers, merchants, miners, superintendents, and mining entrepreneurs remain. Railroad structures (old depots), as well as a grain elevator are also of prominence.

For convenience in such a brief overview, Tintic’s history can be categorizes into four main periods during which it attained prominence:

1. 1869-1878
2. 1879-1898
3. 1898-1912
4. 1912-1924

The initial period, 1869-1878, covers the discovery and years of initial development. The Sunbeam claim was the first (1869) followed by the Dragon, Mammoth, Eureka Hill, and Bullion Beck, to name those where structures remain.

This period also produced Tintic’s first mills and smelters; and perhaps most important viewed the extension of the Utah Southern Railway into Ironton (near Tintic Junction, west of Eureka) in 1878, thus giving Tintic the advantage of rail transportation. Towns of Diamond, Silver City, Mammoth, and Eureka began around the mining activity.

Production of ores increased in the years 1879-1898. This was a direct result of better milling and smelting methods, improved transportation facilities, and the opening of new mines, especially in the area east of Eureka (the Iron Blossom Ore Run). Also of significance was the fact that operations began mining to the depths; thus, previous individual surface operations gave way to deep mining ventures which required more capital and the efforts of large mining companies. The entrance of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad into Tintic in 1891 brought competing railroad lines.

Increased production fostered increased activity, consequently the area grew rapidly. The towns of Diamond and Silver City experienced a fluctuating growth and decline; whereas, Mammoth and especially Eureka (which remain) experienced steady growth. In fact Eureka incorporated as a city on November 8, 1892. The area’s population grew, sparking growth in commercial, social, and residential building activity. An 1893 fire inflicted heavy damage on Eureka’s main street, causing city officials to initiate measures whose results are still evident–new structures were to be constructed of block or brick, and wood-framed buildings were to be covered with an iron-clad sheeting.

Substantial growth characterized the third period, 1899-1912. Tintic, in 1899, led Utah in value of ore production. The east Tintic area was a heavy producer; and also beginning during this time was the operations of the Chief Consolidated Mining Company, which would later prove to be a big producer. By 1900 Eureka’s population grew to about 3325 (from 1733 in 1890); Mammoth, and sister camp, Robinson, and Silver City also experienced an increased population.

Building of all types continued, with a significant feature being the development of Fitchville, just outside the south-central limits of Eureka City. The Fitch family, from Houghton, Michigan, were the principal owners and entrepreneurs of the Chief Consolidated Mining Company. They not only moved their company’s general headquarters to near the mine, but also built massive and tasteful homes there, in addition to maintaining a family cemetery west of Eureka.

The period 1913-1926 was marked by continued prosperity and continued work and development of the Chief Consolidated, the Tintic Standard, and North Lilly Mining companies. Values of production grew during the 1920s, fluctuating but reaching a peak in 1925 of approximately $16,200,000.

Eureka’s population grew to nearly 4,000. The strike of ore in 1916 by the Tintic Standard Mining Company gave rise to the town of Dividend in east Tintic (Utah County). Again, as in previous years, commercial, social, and residential building continued; but began to decline as the depression years commenced. Social and commercial activity during these years were brisk. Fraternal and social organizations proliferated, as they always had; many housed in presently-standing structures. Commercially, Eureka housed from approximately 88 to 112 business concerns; while Mammoth contained 27-54. Eureka was labeled in the press as a “little metropolis.”

Milling activity burgeoned during the period. Of particular importance was the utilization of various methods of treating ores, primarily the Hold-Dern Roasting method and the Augustin process (see HAER Survey for Utah). Also of importance during this time were the various efforts in dry farming the valleys west and east of the East Tintic mountains, especially the efforts of Jesse Knight, an important Mormon mining entrepreneur, who in 1915 erected a 50,000 bushel concrete grain elevator.

Depression and post-depress ion years were ones of decline. Mining and commercial activity began to wane, but the Tintic Standard and Chief Consolidated operations continued until the 1940s and 1950s respectively. Residential homes were being moved from Eureka, and commercial buildings were also being removed. Presently Eureka City still remains, with some 750 inhabitants and approximately twenty-five businesses. Mammoth has no business concerns and 35 inhabitants. Despite the decline, the area survives, with mining still evident (as well as the main portion of Eureka’s business district). In addition, the optimum that has always permeated the atmosphere of a mining town persists.

Architectural Component

Tintic’s architecture was typical of that of other mining towns – typical in the sense of expressing the need for utility of architectural design and the overlapping, fusing, and combining of various architectural styles in vogue during specific times. Types found in the Eureka district include residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial architecture. In other areas of the multi-resource district residential and industrial types dominate.

Residential architecture, dating from the 1880s through the 1920s reflect various styles. The predominant type is wood-framed vernacular; that is, indigenous structures constructed in the area primarily for utility. A common type in the 1880s and 1890s was the two-room framed structure with the entrances built on the pitch side of the roof, rather than the gable end. To the rear of many of these structures was a shed projection, resulting in a modified form of a Colonial saltbox. Vernacular forms also utilized hip roofs; and the skeletal frames were often covered with either plank siding, clapboards or horizontal overlapping wooden boards, or vertical board-and-batten. Shingle covering over the roof was the most common.
Porches were often built or added, apparently for utilitarian purposes, but also for decorative concerns since many exhibited ornate trim. Most miners’ cottages reflected the vernacular.

Various residences utilized elements of Gothic Revival. Steep pitched roofs and pierced aprons appeared on several dwellings, primarily those which belonged to merchants, businessmen, etc. In addition, the hexagonal bay-window, also reminiscent of the Gothic style, was used in some construction.

Residences for mining entrepreneurs, in this case the Walter Fitch family, were strikingly different and more stylistic. Architecturally the homes in Fitchville (as mentioned) exhibited elements primarily of the Bungalow, but also Prairie styles. Low proportions, gently sloping roofs, and extensive use of glass also render these styles, adaptations of the mid-west prairies, compatible to the existent hilly terrain. In various cases columns appear on front porches, and dormers exist but are compatible to the basic style and reflect certain adaptations made to the designs. Interiors were interesting, especially in the cases of exposed beamed-ceilings that reflect the architect’s study in ship design.

Likewise housing for supervisory personnel of the Chief Consolidated Mining Company also exhibit specific qualities. Gable-framed structures reminiscent of the bungalow with notched-end rafters extending beyond the supporting walls, and with eaves of great projection, also contain elements of the western style. Such structures perhaps represent free adaptations of the styles to this particular area.

Commercial architecture also reflected a wide usage of various elements. Most evident are the vernacular forms, comprised in part of framed structures with a false front of western architecture. The majority of these buildings were covered with a corrugated iron or tin sheeting as protection against fire. Stone edifices with brick or wood facades in the commercial style appeared later. Features of the above forms were an indented entrance flanked by large display windows. Facades often had ornate cornice design done in wood or metal.

Italianate influences appeared in the form of ornamental cornice design, window detailing, and floor plans common to the style yet sometimes varied. Generally this floor plan included a tall, narrow, deep shop space on the main level with office or meeting space on the second (similar to plans of the false front structure). An indented entrance flanked by display windows serviced the main floor level. Roofs were often flat, usually sealed by asphalt, felt, gravel, and metal; and full upper stories were behind the front as compared to the deceiving empty space of many vernacular forms.

Pure styles in commercial architecture are not evident; however, as discussed, elements of various styles do exist. Cast iron piers and bracketed cornices, reminiscent of the Italianate appear. Decorative brickwork, a hallmark of the Queen Anne style, is also evident, as well as elements of Colonial Revival. Stamped sheet metal, often with intricate designs and patterns, remain on numerous walls and ceilings of commercial structures.

Institutional designs again followed a combination of various styles. Vernacular forms, such as the wood drame gabled St. Patrick’s Church, are represented. Gothic Revival in wood was most evident in the Eureka wardhouse of the L.D.S. Church and the Methodist Church. Remaining on the L.D.S. Church structure is Gothic detailing in the form of lancet windows. Detailed cornices, characteristic of Colonial Revival, are also evident, as in the case of the former Carnegie Public Library. Later school construction (1920s) reflected a plain, utilitarian concern; however, earlier edifices (1890s), now gone, were Romanesque in their detailing of round arches and rough masonry.

Industrial architecture is most evident in Tintic in the form of massive gallows or headframes. These structures were heavily braced right triangular units mounted over the shaft. Tintic contains three earlier (over fifty years old) varieties–the two-post wood framed Montana type, early two-post steel construction, and a four-post type. Most gallows average about fifty to sixty feet in height, and some are
located with remnants of wooden ore storage bins, and various other structures, usually wood, sometimes stone, that comprised the mine’s surface plant. Concrete foundations are all that remain of various mills and smelters.

The physical relationships of buildings to each other are endemic of mining districts and areas. Eureka’s town layout follows the geographical characteristics of the area–primarily the hilly topography. All commercial enterprises, and various institutional structures, are all located on one long main street, running through the center of town. Wood, brick, and stone buildings run along the street with varying cornice heights. About half the original structures have been removed, but the south side of Main Street remains much the same.

Geographically, headframes and mine surface plants exist in Eureka City; thus, a closeness in physical relationship between the various building types. In other areas of the multiple resource district headframes are scattered, but the remnants of ore dumps and railroad grades in the vicinity creates a vision of compatibility and continuity of the mining theme.

A breakdown of the approximate percentages of building types is as follows:

• Residential 84%
• Commercial 5%
• Institutional 4%
• Industrial 7%

The heaviest concentration of these structures is found in the proposed Eureka Historic District.

Some known archeological sites do exist in the area (and are noted) but an in-depth archeological survey of the district has not been completed.

The primary significance of the historic resources of the Tintic Mining District is their value in the documentation of metal mining history, both on a state and national level. Tintic f s historic resources all illustrate various aspects of process-flows of the mining enterprise from settlement to development and periods of prosperity. Known archeological sites help to document the existence of the Ute Indians in the area (as Tintic was the name of a Ute Chief prominent in the 1850s) the peoples whose valley was invaded first by cattlemen, then miners. Examples of residential (all types), commercial, institutional, and industrial structures, as well as ore dumps, railroad grades, shafts, and tunnels remain and function as an excellent means of interpreting the mining past. In addition, the district’s center, Eureka City, still exists, containing in the immediate vicinity examples of the above structures. Mining continues in Tintic, thus offering a rare view of past and present in one compact area.

Ute Indians were the early inhabitants of the area, utilizing the mountains and valleys primarily as hunting grounds. Prior to the mid-1800s bands of Indians roamed the area without much “white” interference. The Dominguez-Escalante trek of 1776 – an expedition by two Spanish friars, taking them from Santa Fe to Colorado, Utah, and Arizona–passed to the east of Tintic. Likewise, in the 1820s fur trappers, principally Jedediah Smith, traversed Juab County, passing near Tintic. Thus, to mid-nineteenth century the area of Tintic was unsettled, except for use as camping and hunting grounds by the Utes.

With the coming of the Mormons in 1847 patterns changed. Exploration parties passed to the east of Tintic in 1847-1850 period, with the first settlement established in Juab Valley in 1851 (again, east of Tintic). John Boone is recorded as the first white settler in Tintic in the 1850s using the valley for herding his cattle and horses. Such intrusions into hunting areas sparked the Tintic War of 1856, led by Chief Tintic. This in turn increased travel and exposure to the area.

The Indians were eventually pushed out of the area near the Nevada-Utah border (the Goisuits also inhabited western Juab, the present reservation). In 1869 Mormon cowboys journeyed into Tintic Valley (so-named in 1856) aroused by a piece of float (ore brought to the surface) that had been found. By December, 1869, the Tintic Mining District was a reality, initiating the great change that would take place.

Mines were loated, the population increased, towns developed, and the entire character of the once green fertile area changed. In the 1870-1890s period numerous mines were located, followed by the rise of towns and an influx of people, primarily of northern European heritage. Transportation at first centered upon teams and wagons, but by 1878 the railroad improved ore and passenger transportation.

By the late 1890s Tintic was a significant mining area in Utah. Eureka City became the district’s center, leading in the amount of commercial activity. Mining activity burgeoned, with corporate interests leading the way. New surface plants were being erected, in addition to mills, and in the early 1900s smelters.

Such smelter activity was a catalyst to the arrival of various southern and eastern European immigrants–primarily Greek and South Slavic peoples (Serbs and Croats).

During the first three decades of the Twentieth Century Tintic was a mining district held in high regard within mining circles. The careful developmental work of mine owners is cited as a significant reason for the district’s longevity. The Chief Consolidated and Tintic Standard Mining companies are often singled out. Depression years signaled the end of growth; although major mines operated into the 1940s and 1950s.

The major period of significance in Tintic entailed the years 1890-1926, since it was during that time the area gained prominence and enjoyed its greatest activity as a mining center in Utah. The historic resources chosen were all constructed during the period and reflect the process of life in the mining district. For example, residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial structures aid in viewing the evolution of a mining district, from infancy into adulthood.

Major historical figures in the annals of Utah mining history who were related to the district include William Mclntyre, John Q. Packard, John Beck, Jesse Knight, McCornick Brothers, George Dern, W. W. Chisolm, Walter Fitch Sr., and E. J. Raddatz. Properties that relate to them are as follows:

• Mclntyre – Mammoth Mine
• Packard – Eureka Hill Mine
• Beck – Bullion Beck Mine
• Knight – Knightsville School site, smelter and mill site, and grain elevator.
• McCornicks – Bank Structure
• Dern – Khight-Dern Mill Site
• Chisolm – Centennial-Eureka Mine
• Fitch – Fitchville, Chief #1 and #2 Mines, and Fitch Cemetery.
• Raddatz – Miner’s Dry at Dividend

Numerous other mining entrepreneurs and figures of importance had interests in various Tintic mining ventures.

J. C. Penney in 1909 located one of his Golden Rule stores in Eureka. This concern became number eleven in the J. C. Penney and Co. chain and was housed in the lower commercial space of the Miner’s Union Hall. E. C. Sams, who had opened the Eureka store in 1909 with Penney, later became Penney’s national president. In addition, a prominent Utah clothing merchant, W. F. Shriver (whose family is still in business in Provo, Utah), began in Eureka. The Fennel-Shriver business block remains.

Architecture in the district is also significant since it reflects that of a mining period, or as it has been labeled, “Bonanza Victorian.” Vernacular structures, especially miners residences, reflect the utilitarian concerns (i.e. windows with numerous panes of glass for light). Often their simplistic style illustrates the
fact that the wealth generated in mining camps did not remain with the miner or community.

In the case of Tin tic, however, all wealth did not leave the area. The Fitch family, entrepreneurs, erected massive homes near Eureka City. These structures reflect characteristics of the Prairie and Bungalow styles and were, in the main, designed by Walter J. Cooper, New York architect who had worked with Henry Ives Cobb. Cooper was involved in the Newhouse Hotel and Newhouse Building in Salt Lake City. Cooper’s designs for the Chief also illustrate the way in which the Prairie style evolved and became adapted to various locales. In 1911 Cooper moved to Utah and became a prominent architect of Salt Lake City. While in the employ of the Chief he worked with William Jones, the company’s building contractor. Together they erected several Bungalow style dwellings for supervisory personnel, with hallmarks of bare notched-end rafters that extend beyond the supporting walls. In addition, Cooper was trained in ship design, later leaving for San Francisco to follow that aspect. His interiors in Fitchville, especially the home built for Walter Fitch, Jr., carry an exposed beam ceiling reminiscent of ship design.

As mentioned in the description, some residential architecture represents a fusion of various styles–modified porch columns of Colonial Revival, steep-pitched roofs and pierced aprons of Gothic Revival, and Tudor arches in interiors. The Gus Henroid home and Miners’ Union Hall were constructed from concrete block made by a local stone mason, Tom Clarke.

Eureka’s Main Street has the concentration of commercial buildings, which architecturally are also a combination of styles–Italianate, Colonial Revival, and of course vernacular. The Miners’ Union Hall and B.P.O.E. (Elks) Block contain elements of the Italianate, while Colonial Revival is viewed, in part, in the Memorial Building (Carnegie Library). Cast iron facades, stone structures with wood and brick facades, brick buildings, pressed sheet metal interior ceilings and walls, and iron clad wood-framed buildings characterize most of these commercial structures. The architecture also acts as a source of interpretation in illustrating the evolution of Eureka from a settlement, to a camp, and then into a town.

The Elks Block, Carnegie Public Library, and Stott Building (and possibly the L.D.S. Church Ward House) were all designed by Richard C. Watkins, prominent Utah architect. Watkins, born in England, came to the U. S. in 1869 and worked as a foreman for Richard Kletting, perhaps Utah’s best-known architect. In 1892 he started his own practice and in 1911 became the architect for state schools.

practice and in 1911 became the architect for state schools. Institutional structures in Eureka include churches, schools, and city and county buildings. The Methodist and L.D.S. Churches represent Gothic influences, while the Catholic Church is a vernacular example. City Hall was designed by a local, John J. Pilgerrin, in 1899, and built by a Eureka contractor, Adams and Sons. Industrial structures, as mentioned, are most represented by massive headframes.

Commerce was a significant aspect of Eureka City’s life, as the economic center of the Tintic Mining District, as it remains. The written history attached illustrates the numerical impact of the commercial sector and also provides an explanation of impact. Suffice it to say that in the proposed district Eureka did serve as a “Little Metropolis.”

The significance in the area of engineering is best exemplified in the headframes – wood and steel and built in the 1890s through the 1920s (others not now considered were erected in the 1950s and 1960s and provide an excellent view of the structural evolution of these mining structures). In the case of the Chief Consolidated No. 2 shaft (included in the Eureka District) the shaft is a three compartment concrete-lined shaft, the first to be attempted in Utah in terms of concrete lining. Remnants of charcoal kilns, lime kilns, smelters and mills also exist as examples of engineering technology in mining, milling, and smelting.

Political significance is due to the fact that socialism and activities of the local Socialist Party were most active in Eureka. Eureka’s socialist organization continued to function until the mid-1920s, making it one of the longest-las ting socialist groups in the state of Utah.

Tintic’s main significance is, of course, its function within the mining industry. The history accompanying these forms illustrates Tintic’s importance as a mining district. It also is of significance that mining is still occurring in Tintic. The Mammoth mine, discovered in 1870 and a giant producer, is presently being leased and mined by Kennecott Copper Corporation.

Preservation and restoration activities within Tintic are almost non-existent. Various home owners are remodeling, some quite tastefully, but no program or project exists. It was an objective of the Historic Survey of the Tintic Mining District to identify historic resources and make Preservation Staff (of the Utah State Historical Society) time available for consultation and advice concerning preservation and restoration.

The choice of districts and sites within the multiple resource area was based upon two main factors. First, the size of the area–selecting surveyed archeological sites, and mine sites where headframe or other surface structures exist; in addition to other sites which aid in historic interpretation. Second, districts represent a clustering of inter-related and overall related sites and structures. The Eureka district contains many elements found in the district -as a whole. Furthermore, it still exists and functions as the commercial center. Mammoth, composed of residences and the Mammoth mine, was the site of a once thriving community but is bound by the thematic factor of mining, even though no commercial or institutional structures exist.

Results of the Tintic Mining District Survey are yet to be felt. The project has just been completed, but ways to utilize this material in implementing a preservation plan, primarily to aid Eureka City, will be prepared by the Preservation Planner working in the State Historical Society’s Preservation Department.

INDIVIDUAL SITES IN THE TINTIC MULTI RESOURCE DISTRICT

• EUREKA CITY CEMETERY
• KNIGHT GRAIN ELEVATOR
• FITCH CEMETERY
• TINTIC SMELTER SITE
• SILVER CITY CEMETERY
• DIAMOND CEMETERY
• SHOWERS MINE AND HEADFRAME
• SUNBEAM MINE
• SOUTH IRON BLOSSOM HEADFRAME
• UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD DEPOT
• IRON BLOSSOM #5 MINE
• GRAND CEMTRAL MINE
• CENTENNIAL-EUREKA MINE
• EAGLE AND BLUE BELL MINE
• BECK NO. 2 MINE
• YANKEE HEADFRAME
• KNIGHTSVILLE SCHOOL FOUNDATION
• BIG HILL SHAFT HEADFRAME
• EUREKA LILLY HEADFRAME
• DIVIDENT MINER’S DRY
• WATER LILY SHAFT
• LIME KILNS
• CHARCOAL KILNS
  

The history of the Tintic Mining District is necessarily centered upon the basic theme of “hardrock mining,” encompassing the role of the prospector, mining entrepreneur and laborer, as well as the commercial, social, and political life which characterized a mining area. In this vein the role of the physical environment must occupy a place of prominence in such a history. The physical environment, that is buildings and structures, especially those that remain, aid in the documentation of the Tintic District and furthermore form 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 due to the fact that 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 popular 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 headframes); 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 hardrock 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 the entire New World.

At least one source alleged that perhaps the first mining boom in America occurred in the upper Mississippi valley lead region 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 generally 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 mine region and the lead mines of Arkansas. In 1846 Congress terminated the 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 Butter’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 1850 *s 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 great 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 up in all of 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 (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 considerably 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. Indeed, 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 a number of minor minerals.

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 Deidesheimen, became essential in Utah mining activity.

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 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.

Salt Lake City became the 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 largely built with money derived from Utah mines and dividend-paying companies. 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 14 output ($5,000,000) by 1899, and led in production at various years afterward. 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” still 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 wan 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 Tintic Mining District lies on the western and eastern slopes of the central 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 cast by Dog Valley, Goshen Valley, and Cedar Valley.

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).

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 (man^, re leased 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 device for grinding ore utilizing a method of dragging heavy stones on a large circular stone bed, propelled by the use of mules. A paucity 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–the probability that they did also exists.

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 cattlemen. Tintic’s style of fighting was one of a series of “running raids,” which had characterized the Ute f 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 18 actual accounts of the events can be found elsewhere. In any event, in the March S, 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.“

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 reportedly killed two herdsmen, Henry Moran and William Carson), and marched up to a canyon that led to a valley. It was apparently during this 20 expedition that the above valley was named “Tintic Valley.”

The name prevailed and in later years “Tintic” also became the name of one of Utah’s earliest mining districts. Accounts vary as to the actual events relevant to the beginnings of the district, but suffice it to say that piece of “float” (ore brought to the surface) was found in the area between Silver City and Diamond reportedly by George Rust. 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.

Thus, the Sunbeam claim became the first claim in the district; and ironically was registered by a group of Mormon cowboys, who purpodedly were condemned for the search because of the church’s (primarily Brigham Young) stand against the prospecting for precious metals.

Following the Sunbeam discovery events began to unfold that signaled the true beginnings of a mining district. Incorporation was established, as mentioned, 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.

An Initial result in the launching of the Tintic Mining District was to create an interest in the area. As mentioned, new properties opened after the Sunbeam claim–the Black Dragon, Mammoth, Eureka Hill, Armstrong, Shoebridge, Showers, and Swansen were all among these early prospects. Coupled with this growth was an influx of people followed by the creation of camps and settlements. This settlement process preceded in a sequence. First, the area of igneous rock in the southern portion of Tintic, near Diamond and Silver City. Secondly, the area north in Mammoth Basin. Thirdly, further to the north, separated from Mammoth Basin by a high limestone ridge, was the Eureka area.

The town of Diamond came into existence as a result of the Sunbeam claim. The name diamond is attributed to the observation that the white crystals (quartz) in the area resembled diamonds. Little is actually 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 purported population of “a thousand people.” Further, the town, at her 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.

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 due to the fact that she contained the telegraph, express, and recorder’s offices for the entire district, S. B. Moore was the first recorder of Tintic, 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.

In the 1880s the city would obtain rail transportation, which would increase greatly the mineral output from nearby mines.

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.

Like Diamond, Silver would enjoy a later period of boom.

A group of claims were staked in 1870 that later became part of the Mammoth mine. Secondary 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 28 the increased activity. The Crismon-Mammoth mine fell into the possession of Samuel and William Mclntyre in 1873, through a trade of Texas cattle for Crismon’s interest–a story now part of Tintic folk history. Under McIntyre control the Mammoth Mine prospered.

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 in an attempt to raise additional capital on debentures by selling bonds in the London Mining Review. $84,000 was raised and sent for mine improvements, which included the erection of a fifteen stamp mill (in Roseville, six miles from the mine). These efforts failed, and in perhaps 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 moveable property, as evidenced by the Wells Fargo and Company action. British investors, who reportedly 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 predominantly German, Irish, Welch, and Cornish immigrants, seeking work in mining. Thus, the history of the town of 32 Mammoth was launched. Homes were erected near the mines, and water was transported from Eureka, selling for a reportedly 10 cents per gallon. Later (1880s) a wooden pipeline was constructed from Jenny Lynn Spring, and water was collected in pails 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.

One of Eureka’s early settlers was Watson Nesbitt, superintendent for the Eureka Hill and considered a “hand-picked” manager for mine owner John Q. Packard. Much of Nesbitts activities, including his fiery character and uncanny ability to locate an ore body also boarder on the realm of Tintic folklore. It is held that a remnant of his building, constructed in the 1870s, still exists near the Gemini mine dump. Nesbitt, in many ways, typified the early Tintic inhabitant. That is, he was an immigrant (from England) and had been previously exposed to mining via Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Colorado. It was the influx of such 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, another 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. Needless to say, 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–John Beck, who rose to high prominence, epitomized this dream and its ultimate attainment.

Together with the Eureka Hill and Bullion Beck, the Blue Rock (later the Centennial^ Eureka) and the Gemini (old Keystone), both producers by 1886, were labeled the “Big Four” and insured 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, to the east of Eureka was an area where the Godiva, Uncle Sam, Humbug, Utah, and Siox mines would develop.

Some thirty miles west of Eureka lies the West Tintic Mining District, began in 1871 with the Scotia mine. An area of good producers, this area was foreshadowed by the main district and also by the fact that one of its occupants was Orrin Porter Rockwell. Rockwell settled on a ranch near Cherry Creek, reportedly with numerous battles ensuing over water rights. Reports place Rockwell as involved with various West Tintic claims and as the district f s recorder. An aura of mystery and intrigue eminates from Rockwells involvement with Tintic. Both Rockwell and Bill Hickman, Danite chiefs are associated with the area. In 1877 Rockwell was arrested for the murder of John Aiken and jailed. Bail was set at $15,000 and paid by Sam McIntyre, J. A. Cummingham, and Orin Dix. McIntyre’s (of the Mammoth Mine) involvement, as a friend of Rockwell, is of interest since Rockwell’s water rights at Cherry Creek were eventually sold to the mine.

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.”

The first stage occurred prior to the 1890s. A small mill and smelter were erected almost simultaneously at Homansville. The smelter \vas constructed by the Utah Smelting and Milling Company, and called the Clarkson. Operations began on June 17, 1871, with a reportedly 172 tons of silver-lead bullion produced in 60 days. The ores smelted in the Homansville furnaces were 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.

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 1874 the furnaces were leased to the Crismon Brothers.

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.

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 ultimately 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.

A second mill erected at Homansville was the Wyoming, constructed by the Wyoming Mining and Milling Company, an Ohio interest. It was built in 1873 to .process ore from the old Wyoming mine (eventually part of the Eagle and Blue Bell Mine). The mine failed, 42 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 predominantly ore from the Northern Spay in 1882, operating regularly to 1886.

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 purportedly was the one that Fremont brought overland in 1848 to use in the saw mill at the “Mariposa Grove of big trees.” Also in 1873 the Shoebridge mill was built approximately six miles from Diamond for custom work. In February, 1877, the company bailed; and in 1878 it passed to S. P. Ely; thus 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 45 amalgamate in pans for gold.

The Mammoth-Copperapolis 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.

Central to the overall development of Tintic was improved transportation facilities. Railroad development had a great impact upon the output of Tintic since the districts 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.

A 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 ultimately failed in the financially disastrous years of 1872-1873.

In 1878 the Utah Southern extended its operation into Ironton, approximately five miles southwest of Eureka. The result being a marked increase in output for 1879–nearly doubling the previous year’s production.

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 1882 with a branch line from Ironton to 49 Silver City completed by the end of July, 1882.

Branch lines were also extended into Mammoth (Robinson) shortly after the Silver City spur and Eureka in 1889. In 1890 the Salt Lake and Western consolidated with the Utah and Nevada, Utah and Northern, and Echo and Park City, 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.

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 on around to Mammoth and Silver City. Apparently the Tintic Range Railway Company, which built the line, was the Rio Grande’s construction subsidiary. An agreement was signed in 1892 allowing the Rio Grande to operate the line. The entrance of the Rio Grande was heralded as one of the most important events of the year, since Tintic now had the advantage of two lines.

Heretofore, 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 basically steady manner–the number of mines growing rapidly. In addition to the main mines previously mentioned, by 1881 the listing included the following: On Eureka Hill–the Frederick Charles, Iron Queen, Black Stallion, Merrimac, Monitor, Lucky Boy, Josephine, La Bonte, Corisa, Fairview, Tiger, Argenta, Little Maud, Brazil, King, Cincinnati Mines, Celestia, Swansea, Black Dragon, and North Star; Galena Hill–the Lucky, Champlain, Whistler, Park, Chicago, Sidney, King James, Wild Mormon, June Rose, Lady Aspin)#ail, Nelly Bly, Lady Grey, and Golden Bell; Gold Hill–the Undine, Blucher, Pacific, Sunbeam, Mary Bell, Wildwood, Cherokee, Tesora, Cornocopia, Senator, Golden, Treasure, Julian Lane, Bismuth Chief, Scorpion, Frontenac, Niagra, 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, Hammarskiold, 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: Eureka–William Hatfield, general merchandise; Williams and Cusick, general merchandise, saloons, and billards; and W. W. Mathews, saloon and billards. Silver City–M. G. Cushman, general merchandise and liquors; John Oaks, store and saloon with billards; OjurS6 and Col. A. Ethler, liquors and cigars. Diamond–R. T. @ewe*s, general merchandise and liquors; and R. A. Hills, general merchandise. And Mammoth (primarily upper town)–B. R. LeDue (or B. T. Le Due), saloon (in the 1870s); Couch and Elmer, saloon; and in 1881 Reid and Elmer, saloon.

One early evaluation of Tintic states:

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.

Embedded in such a statement are evidences that the writer viewed 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.

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 practically 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 machinery put in, as well as sinking and prospecting by drifts and winger. 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.

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 well as business purposes.

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 x 72 feet), boarding house (20 x 60 feet), bunk house (20 x 30 feet), and tack house (16 x 30 feet). In addition the shaft was sunk to a depth of 300 feet, and a one mile pipe line 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 x 20 x 30 feet), engine house (22 x 53 feet), and boiler house (21 x 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 large amounts of fluxing ores to Utah smelters, as well as others out of state, including one in Montana.

Tintic’s colorful past seems embodied in the years of the 1880s to 1890s, known as the “Rainbow Era.” These years have produced the legends, folk tales, and folk heroes that add much meaning to an area’s past. Other 59 studies have dealt with this Folklore, but the likes of an Anna Marks, Hank Parish, Jack Gillin, Billy King, or the tales of the “Tommy Knochers,” or other superstitious endemic to the myriad of ethnic groups that comprise a mining camp, are all significant in one’s identification with and understanding of the past. It was not coincidental that the 1880s and 1890s would produce some of Tintic’s “classic” folk tales, for that period was one of rejuvenation–the time when Tintic indeed “came of age.”

Mining “to the depths” sparked a rebirth for Tintic in the 1890s. Mills were erected, production increased, yet the vicissitudes 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 also 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.”

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 Hamonsville, a distance of 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 (1100 feet higher).

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 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 McCrystal 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 f-y establishment of a C.O.D. store, and the George Arthur Rice and Co. Bank.

Precipitating this uplift of the district were the successful operations of various mines. The Bullion Beck and Champion appeared to be forecasting the upsurge of activity by tearing down its old hoisting works and installing new equipment. One report stated:

Over the shaft is the main building of the boisting works. This is substantially framed structure 40 x 119 feet and high enough to take in the gallows frame, that being one of the best and strongest in the country and sixty feet in hight [sic], There are no better framed timbers or larger ones than these in Utah.

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 also 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 64 Eagle and Blue Bell, and dating from 1888), and the Iron Blossom.

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:

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 pyintes, 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 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.

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 Alien, 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.

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 Canon 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.

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 located in a large station cut out of solid rock–the level being called the 300 (as it still is). 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.

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 apparently 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 proper was 110 x 36 feet, and 70 feet in height, with an engine house measuring 30 x 40 feet, and a 60 x 40 x 22 foot boiler house.

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 required the Federal Treasury to purchase 4 1/2 million ounces of silver per month. Accompanying this action the silver metals market became most unstable; prices of silver fell. In Tintic this coincided with difficulties over the company boarding house and store. 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.

It was the Bullion Beck and Champion Mining Company who initiated the action in Tintic, The mine was closed in early February and 200 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 perhaps at this point “lockout”) was on with both sides adamant with regard to their respective positions.

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; Willian 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. Beattle, secretary. As can be determined, the Eureka Miners Union was represented by L. T. Jacobs, president, but most intently by John Duggan, secretary.

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 scabs utilization of strike breakers (scabs).

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 seemingly 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 a number of men, none of whom appeared on the store’s ledgers.

On March 7th the Bullion Beck started operations with about forty men—mostly scab labor. Union men met the train at the mine and attempted by verbal means to dissuade the men brought in from commencing work. Apparently 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 he was thought of. . . Up to lunch marched the earnest, exuberant band, and down again they came to once more serenade the grub-filled ‘scabs’ [workers were given a free lunch].

While the above action was abhorred by both management and union, it nevertheless typified public support of 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 – pro-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 apparently sought to offset or neutralize local support for the miners by summoning federal marshals, ironic in the sense that the Mormon church sought statehood in order to decrease federal interference, yet such interference was here sought. Scrutiny of Eureka City Criminal Justice Dockets for 1893 bear out 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.

A second point of contention was the role of the Mormon Church in the affair. Reports alleging church interference in behalf of the Beck mine, whose directors were Mormon, some in the hierarchy, ran rampant. Marshal Benton, in command of the federal group, was purported to have sent a letter to “Brother Hyde11 recommending one Hugh Roark for employment. In March President Woodruff replied to a letter from the Union fortes ting against Mormon bishops acting as employment agents. The letter, dated March 18, 1893, stated that he had no knowledge of the matter; furthermore, if a call were indeed given to aid the needy, any action would be completely justified. On the other hand, Woodruff asserted, if a bishop merely acted as an agent, the action would be unproper. Duggan replied, imploring President Woodruff to use his influence to stop church “meddling” in the labor problem.

The full extent of involvement by the Mormon church is difficult to assess. In addition, to what degree this strike affected the church’s response to future labor strike remains to be studied further. The existence in the Beck mine of farmers from northern Mormon farming communities adds credence to the possibility of the Beck directorate utilizing their church co influence and affiliation in securing labor. On April 29, 1893, 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 t a Deseret Weekly editorial entitled, “Tintic Molly Maquires” 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.

Meanwhile, irascibility among strikers and scabs 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. However, on March 31 Hiram Hyde, the brother of A. E. Hyde and an employee of the Beck mine, exchanged shots with Al Collins and Bat Sullian, striking miners, in the lower part of Eureka, inquiries resulted, but no deaths. Finally, on June 5 the houses of two non-union miners were blown up by a dynamite charge just southwest of the Beck workings. Again, no deaths resulted. Such affairs brought stern denunciations by Hyde and other mine owners, who sought the protection of Governor Thomas, governor of Utah Territory, who declined the plea for assistance.

Formation of a Grand Jury, impaneled to investigate the dynamite incident 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 dynamiting affair. Riot charges were issued for May 10th and 20th incidents. Both men and women predominantly Irish were indicted–all pled not guilty.

The labor troubles of 1893 appear to have dragged on, eventually petering out by the year’s end. Evidently, 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 died (buried in the Eureka cemetery), depriving the union of its most ardent defender. Mines worked sporadically but closed in June as the Panic of 1893, beginning in earnest in April reached the bottom by July. Only the Eureka Hill, under Pachard, continued to work with the Mammoth re-opening in May with a small crew. However, by the year’s end some 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 vv \ ~Z “£. by Minnie Lockiwitz, 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. Fullride, Pat Shea, and Lockwitz (the only one fully insured). Dan Martin headed the volunteer fire crew who under the circumstances were credited with a valiant effort. Perhaps 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.

For the future, the upshot of this incident 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.

Recovery for Tintic was slow, but deliberate. During 1894 new mills were being 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 greatly revived. A primary reason –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 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 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 to 20 mile eight and six inch pipeline. Additionally, the Union Pacific extended a spur to the mill.

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, practically 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.

A change in management and business affairs occurred at the Bullion Beck and Champion during 1894 as an apparent result of the strike. Shortly following this proceeding, 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 largely in stone, and covered an area 220 feet long by 125 feet wide; the lower rose 105 feet above the lowest portion. As in the other cases, an increased water supply accompanied the construction.

Franklin Farrell, of Ansonia, Connecticut, and a large owner of the Parrat 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 among its machinery twenty stamps, ten vanners, twenty-five pans, and ten settlers. This made a total, of four mills operating in the district.

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 Tribune asserted: “This big district, one of the greatest in area in the state–is carving its way toward becoming one of the richest and largest producers of the entire country.” By 1897 the community T s economy had begun to recover–exports 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. Tintic increased its gold output, and reaped the benefits of increased investment. Perhaps a view of Tintic’s towns can best illustrate this revival.

Prior to the devastation of 1893, Eureka had incorporated as a City on Noveiriber 8, 1892, with Hugo Deprezio, Mayor; T. J. Blue, treasurer; W. F. Shriver, recorder; and councilmen, C. W. Clark, Pat Donnelly, M. C. Sullivan, and W. D. Miners. 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 Dutch town) was erected in 1896. W. D. Myers remodeled the Keystone Hotel at a cost of $1,500, and the housing increased by approximately 100 residences the same year. 1897 witnessed the failure of the George Arthur Rice Banking house, replaced ultimately 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 [ca. 3500] 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.

Mammoth viewed the development of a sister camp during the years 1893-1895 With the erection of the Mammoth mill, under supervision of engineer George H. Robinson, a small number of cabins began to congregate around that operation, some mile or so below the Mammoth. As the dwellings sprang up, Robinson laid out a townsite, and it was promptly named in his honor. As the story goes, Robinson left the employ of the Mammoth Company, joining the Farrell group who were involved in the construction of their mill. In any event, the town of Robinson was born, and in 1895, as 25 to 50 residences were added at Mammoth, some 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. However, of particular notoriety was the Hotel Mammoth, built by the Mclntyres, and operated by the Dix family. An 1896 publication maintained:

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 cosiest 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.

1896 proved a significant year for Mammoth and Robinson. 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; and the Mammoth operahouse was constructed costing $2,000, with a reported seating capacity of 300. C. L. Addeman became V Mammoth’s first resident physician, opening an office in the upper town. New buildings were erected, and the population increased.

Robinson experienced a boom in building in 1895-1897. Lots ran from $30 to $35 in 1895-1896, to $500 to $600 in 1896-1897. Reportedly, 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.

Additional stimulation to the sister camps was provided by the new Eastern Tintic Branch, a railroad constructed in 1896 by J. A. Cunningham, one of the principal owners of the Mammoth mine. Cunningham sought to connect the Mammoth mills with the mine some 500 feet higher up the mountain side. The line, constructed of standard gauge, ran between two and a half and three miles in length and reportedly cost $60,000 (from Cunningham’s own funds). A twenty-one ton Shay engine, named “Little Alice” (reportedly 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 beginning at 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.