The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-26

bring uD the tail end OF the procession
OF mining states and territories in this
inter-mountain region. it is not the
least. by any means, in point of produc-
ton, and, although our commonwealth
is the 45th star in the constellation Of
states. and the last on the list; an in
fant, in fact, the director of the mint,
in his annual report, awards Utah the
fifth place in the production OF the
precious metals. which is something
Which every Utonian should refer TO
with pride, holding to the thought that
within the next ten or fifteen years
there is good reason to believe that
more laurels will be won ard achieved
in this direction, and that in due time
Utah viii head the list as a wealth.
producer.
Salt Lake City, with its broad streets,
magnificent business houses and many
palatial residences, is an example of
what mining can do for town or city
to which the camp or district is tribu
tary; and, while some may doubt the
statement. still it is a fact that most
of the substantial structures of our
beautiful city were built with money
derived from nearby mines and the
wealth OF the leading citizens of Zion
can be accredited to the same source.
The recital Of the early history Of
mining IN Utah would fill a volume,
and needs must be very interesting, as
in the SOS mining was largely confined
10
THE SEARCH FOR SILVER,
and money flowed like water through
the streets OF this city. 1t was then
that the Cottonwoods were in their
glory; that 4 little railroad was built
and operated in American Fork can
yon. IL order to convey the product of
the great Millar mine to the nearest
market. and it was about this period
that Ophir was at the height OF its
glory, and when Stockton was all e1t-
element and all activity, while the
numerous silver camps in Beaver coun-
" added largely to the circulating me-
dunn CT the world, to say nothing of
the record made by the great Ontario,
OF Park City, which kept up with the
procession, and was in the race for SUI
premacy until within a few months
ago. until today, the company can point
with pardonable pride to the fact that
this magnificent property has paid
over Sl2 000, eco in dividends to date.
The degradation and debaSement of
the white metal, however, and the
gradual decline in lead quotations, call
ed a halt IL mining operations for a
time, and for a While the mining indus
try was somewhat stagnant, until.
within the last few years, the intro
duction of cheap and effective methods
for the successful treatment of low
grade ores made it possible to work
goid mixes in different portions of the
state, which, heretofore, could not be
operated without a loss. Improved APP
piiances for general mining, recently
introduced, made it possible to resume
ard continue the extraction of silver
and lead ores, while reductions in rail-
road freights and smelling charges
have rounded out the period of return
ing prosperity. so that today there is
mere activity in the mining camps of
Utah, with few exceptions, than has
ever been witnessed before in the his
tory o. the state.
In this new era, however, it IS a. no
ticeable fact that gold mining has be-
come q boon companion to that of the
white metal. ard that today there are
nearly as many gold camps in the
state as there are pushing and progress
siNe silver districts, which is something
wonderful to contemplate, as, in former
Years, Utah could not boast Of the pos
session OF q purely gold camp, which
goes 20 prove the truth of the old
adage that lit is an i'll wind which
blows nobody good" for, had ii not
been for the characterization of silver,
the sold deposits of The commonwealth
would have been allowed to have lain
dormant As il is, the state can justly
claim some of the most promising gold
districts TO be found III the west, and
the eager and enthusiastic prospector is
sill on the keen hunt for other camps
where the auriferous ledge, the golden
bearing rock. is to be fouad.
Almost every citizen of Salt Lake is
directly. o. Indirectly, interested in
mining pursuits. Some own claims
which they are working or putting into
shane 50 that they can be ranked as
producers. Others own stock in various
mining companies, and these interests
are so diversified, so scattered, that it
would be difficult to name
THE MOST POPULAR CAMP
II The state. as each district has its
own popularity and charm, its advant-
ages and disadvantages, each appeal
inc 20 the likes ana disli5es of the
many men of many minds" who so
to make uD the mining fraternity Of
this iIter-mountain region.
In making reference TO the different
mining camps of the state it is difficult
to draw the distinction which is neces-
saly to name one Of them as the lead
er OF them all, as each has its dis
tinctive characteristics. its own marked
merits, which places it on a basis pc
culiafly its own, so that when all are
presented for consideration and choice
as if in panoramic view, it is diff
ficult to say that this one is the best,
or that one has the lead.
Taken alphabetically, Bingham would
draw the choice for first mention in
this article, and it is safe to say that
nowhere in the west is there a camp
so richly endowed by nature in the
way of the variety of its mineral de-
posts and which has such an excellent
horoscope for the future.
While not the most ancient, Bingham
is che of the oldest camps in the state,
and although it has been steadily
worked for years and has added mil
lions to the imperishable wealth of the
world, mining men are just awakening
TO a realization of the fact that the
district has been but barely scratched
as yet, and recent developments are
going TO prove that such is the case.
THE GREAT MERIT OF BINGHAM
in years past has been the immensely
of its deposits of low grade silver and
lead Ores and these seemingly were in
exhaustible, and years of steady work
and the extraction of thousands upon
thousands Of tons of this class of ore
mas failed to exhaust the supply or
to indicate that the camp had been
Tv,7rked opt 10 any considerable extent }