Knightsville, Utah
| Knightsville | |
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| Ghost town | |
The foundation of the Knightsville School
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 Knightsville
Knightsville
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| Coordinates: 39°57′14″N 112°06′03″W / 39.95389°N 112.10083°WCoordinates: 39°57′14″N 112°06′03″W / 39.95389°N 112.10083°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Juab |
| Established | 1896 |
| Abandoned | c. 1940 |
| Named for | Jesse Knight |
| Elevation | 6,742 ft (2,055 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1437606 |
Knightsville is a ghost town located in the East Tintic Mountains on the northern slope of Godiva Mountain, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Eureka, in the northeastern corner of Juab County in central Utah, United States. A silver mining camp, Knightsville was established and operated as a company town by local mining entrepreneur Jesse Knight. The town was inhabited from 1896 until approximately 1940.
Jesse Knight came to the Tintic Mining District in 1896, with little money and no previous mining knowledge or experience. Against the advice of experienced geologists, he sank a mine shaft that quickly reached a rich body of ore. In response to those who had doubted, he named it the Humbug Mine. Opening about a half dozen mines in the east Tintic area, Knight became one of the region's richest mine owners. His membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was conspicuous in an industry dominated by non-Mormons, and his successes brought him the nickname "the Mormon Mining Wizard".
Knight disapproved of the drunkenness and other vices of the typical mining camp lifestyle. He decided to build his own model town to house the miners near the Humbug Mine. He started Knightsville by having 20 houses built on Godiva Mountain. He soon expanded to 65 homes and two boarding houses. There were stores, churches, hotels, and a post office. But Knightsville became known as "the only mining camp in the United States without a saloon"; as the landowner Knight would not permit a saloon to operate in town.
Residents paid taxes to Utah County until 1898, when the first precise survey of the county line showed that it ran just to the east of town. In 1899 they began paying taxes as Juab County residents.
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