Silver City, Utah
| Silver City | |
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| Ghost town | |
Foundation of the smelter in Silver City
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 Silver City
Silver City
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| Coordinates: 39°54′36″N 112°07′48″W / 39.91000°N 112.13000°WCoordinates: 39°54′36″N 112°07′48″W / 39.91000°N 112.13000°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Juab |
| Established | 1869 |
| Abandoned | c. 1940 |
| Elevation | 6,158 ft (1,877 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1437686 |
Silver City is a ghost town located at the mouth of Dragon Canyon on the west flank of the East Tintic Mountains in northeast Juab County in central Utah, United States. It was a silver mining town approximately 90 miles (140 km) south-southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah. This area was considered part of the Tintic Mining District and also produced bismuth, copper, gold, and lead. Settlement began with the first mining strikes here in 1869. Silver City was inhabited until 1930 after the mines ran out. Jesse Knight, known as the "Mormon Wizard" for his ability to find ore easily, decided to build a smelter in Silver City because it had the flattest ground in all of the Tintic Mining District. Silver City had several mines in 1890, but the mines hit water and were abandoned. Now there is nothing left other than a few holes where mines were, and a number of tailings piles.
In 1869, a cowboy prospector named George Rust discovered the remains of old Native American mines in Dragon Canyon. By December a large claim known as the Sunbeam Mine was located here, and a new mining camp went up quickly as the rich mines multiplied. Growth soon slowed, however, as miners were drawn away by tales of spectacular strikes in Alta and Park City.
Lacking the placer deposits of many Utah mines, extracting Silver City's riches required labor-intensive hard rock mining. Early on, mine owners lacked capital and could develop the mines only slowly. Gradually the town grew from a mere tent city with a saloon and a blacksmith shop, to include a claims recorder and assay office, a telegraph branch, stagecoach line, and post office, and eventually numerous stores, hotels, and restaurants. There were even two railroad depots, as both the Salt Lake & Western Railroad and the Tintic Range Railroad ran lines into town. Economic conditions improved, and by 1899 Silver City's population reached 800.
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Wikipedia