Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-12-19
HISTORICAL.

Charles Herman the well known civll
engineer and deputy United states min
eral surveyor, now a resident OF Salt
Lake, has furnished the Christmas
News with some "reminiscences %
early scenes IN the now prosperous min
ing camp OF Ophir
Mr.. Herman was present at the meet
ing of miners called for the purpose Of
org lnizing the district. The organiza-
Ton took place late In the summer of
1870; Judge Barbee familiar char
acter In the camp at that time, acting
as chairman. About 80 miners partic-
paled, and among the more
prominent ones were Rucllskln clark.
Daniel stanton and A. w Moore When
II came TO the selection Of name for
the newly found district quite friend
~ rivalry arose. A goodly number of
those present wanted 1t called Galcna;
Others thought Agenta a more appropri-
ate name, while OpEir was suggested
as being a better one, The house
seemed to be pretty well divided on tho
subject so, little slips OF paper were
passed around and the matter settled
by ballot Ophil won and The camp haa
borne that title ever since Many. IN
fact nearly all the men VINO took part
IN that memorable meeting. have laid
down their tools and passed over the
Great Divide. Buckskin Clark and A.
W. Moore were among the latest to
close life's chapter.
FIRST WHITE MAN.
Mr. Herman says he is positive that
the latter was the first white man who
settled In Ophir canyon, If rot the first
one who entered Il. Moore had ranch
there and the present townsite covered
a part of IT. When the townsite was
laid cut Mr. Herman, who was then
surveyor of Tooele county, was en-
ploycd TO do the surveying. Moore
coined money out OF the sale Of lots
but nearly all the wealth acquired I'm
this manner was lost in mining ven-
lures made afterwards.
ORIGINAL MINERS.
While the soldiers under the COM
mand Of General Conner may have done
the nrst prospecting i'm the canyon I'm
the sos, Mr. Herman says the first real
active mining commenced there I'm 1870.
and that the two men who discovered
the present Ophir Hill mine-John w.
Cooley and James Observation-Disclosures
to market the first ore. They made II,
money Of consequence for the reason
they experienced difficulty IN finding "A
market Some OF the ore was shipped to
the old Waterman smel,er II miles
south of the Great Salt Lake, but ow.
ing 10 their composition the furnaces
would freeze quickly; hence. the prod
duct Of the mine was not wanted. Coo
ley and Mcbride sold out their inter-
ests for few hundred dollars,
WALKER BROS,
The Walker Brothers entered Ophir
canyon, Mr.. Herman says, about 1873
and soon afterwards built a mill and
operated Il for some time on ores
obtained from Lion Hill, on the east
side of the canyon. Marcus DAILY man
aged the Walker properties When the
mill was abandoned the machinery was
shipped 10 Butte and used at the Alice
mine.
The first experienced miners who en-
tered the Dry Canyon section Of the
district according to Mr.. Herman,
was i'm the year 1869. The mountains
I'm that portion Of the camp were heavi-
ly covered with timber and John Moore,
the leader Of the pioneer party, applied
to Mr., Herman to survey some timber
claims for them Mr.. Herman cannot
recall the names OF all the men who
comprised the little delegation. but a
man by the name of John Dyer was
the cook.
Along about 1871 or 1872 the town Of
Ophr contained several thousand peO-
pie. and MIR. Herman is ready TO con.
firm all that has been said elsewhere
relating to the moral condition of the
camp in the early days,
PIONEER HOTEL.
Inhn nnkn Nrne Ihn ninnnnr hnlnl