The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-14
FOUR SHELTERS
NOW L|FELE9S
Murray VeFitable Graveyard for
Great Reduction Plants
Famous in Past.
HISTORY OF ACTIVITY
READ IN SILENT RUINS
Immense Heaps Of Useless
Waste Remain as Monuments
to Earlier Days.

Down near Murray, where the Amer
!can sn,eltor grinds out its daily out
put Of bullion and matte, are four oil
dilapidated Emelters showing tho mari
of tho wind and snow which have beat
en- about the old ruins for so man,
years, but resting serene in their idle
ness, The city Of Murray always ha
been popular srlelter site and still
retains somo of its old-tine glory ii
this respect. However, only one smel
ter is engaged in the refining of ore
while others have gone long ago
The Horn Silver S:nelter started II
the infancy of the town and for lons
time was mint for the owners. The
smelter. situated III the hollow west ot
Murray, was the only exclusive silver
smolter this valley has ever known
Its daily output was considered exceed
ingly good, but owing to Il slack i'll ore
and general conditions not being up to
expectations, the smeltor finally closed
TOR good.
Just now there is nothing in evidence
except huge smoie stack, twisted
steel and iron to remind one that the
refinery once stood there.
The Hanauer Plant.
Along the route of the Oregon Snort
Line, near the extreme northern limits
OF Murray, are ruins of the Hanauer
smclter. also one Of the big smelters
there in its time It's career was never
considered prosperous, despite the fact
that the pay roll was large, together
with the fact that much ore was treated.
Following valuable improvements and
the installation of new machinery, the
smclter ran for a number of years, GOV,
'ring wade area with huge piles of
Stag and castoff machinery. The prop
crty is now owned by the Gordons and
is being used for almost anything which
comes to the minds of the owners. Lat
tie Cottonwood creek wends its way
through the tract OF land. and past the
old unused smelter, while a number
of houses have been erected nearby and
Stag, but the plant itself is a thing OF
the past,
Passing OF the Highland Boy.
The Highland Boy smelter was the
next to go. This particular plant was
county. 1t ran for good many years,
enjoying q good output before q dam
per was put on the works by the farm
cTs thereabouts. The smelter would still
] : occupying its pedestal of fame had
il not been for a few farmers who
owned scanty tracts of lucern land on
the outskirts of the smelter property
The smelter officials were eager to be
at peace with the owners OF this land
and made all kinds of overtures. They
installed 4 smoke consumer at the big
copper refinery, but this did not satisfy
the farmers an the least They kicked
and finally the matter was carried TO
the courts, where the smelter people
were assessed until tbey were forced to
quit business there. The farmers kept
up their fight until the smelter officials
gave up the fight in disgust.
y little town sprang up near the
Highland Boy, and it was hero that
more than 800 families lived When the
big plant closed, many remained, hop
ing that the smelter would again be-
gin operations. The plant renamed in
active, and it was then that the resi-
dents began to move to more alluring
fields
At the present time little remains Of
The smelter. The big steel structures
and even the big smoke stack, from
which poured volumes of thick black
smoke for so many years has been torn
down. About the space where the re-
hnery once stood are few old vacant |
houses. This plant employed more than
1000 men and was the means of build |
lng up. big portion of the county in
that vicinity.
Ger1nania Is Silent.
Enshroudcd in its silent surrounding
IS the old Germania, at one time oper-
3 ted by the American Smelling and Re |
lining company, now occupying the old |
ate but without its former activity |
he veteran smelter man. I. r. Jones, |
Dnco had charge of the Germania, and |
such men as Austin, Tucker and many |
others helped to make it the strong |
at Murray that it used 10 be-
When work on the Murray plant on |
.hc hill south of the city was started |
more than six years ago, it was con
ended that the Germania would still |
But wise heads who had stud
ed the smelter game in this valley and |
Who had watched other plants with less
pull that the Germanla 90 under, pre-
iicted that the American smelter would |
DC the only one in that neck Of the
woods. True to the prophecy, when
.ne American finally began work, the
icrmania was closed down. The big
'melter which stands on the hill south |
II the city proper has in recent years
.oubled its output and has easily lived |
ip to the expectations of the heads Of |
inc company.
In speaking about the smelter indus
~ IN this valley in general in the
1ast, it must be said that the city of |
Murray is the only town in the United |
states where so many. smeiters have
oeen built and left TO decay. which
'asilY marks the stride of times and |
)rogress. The smelter graveyard will
always go under the same old name,
ind in years to come tho historical |
vents attached TO the dilapidated in
'titutions of the wealthy will again be
'Ited and perhaps other smelters
erected.
TnrpopmD CrD,r.,,