Spring Canyon, also called Storrs, is a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
in
Carbon County,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, United States. In 1912,
Jesse Knight
Jesse Knight (6 September 1845 — 14 March 1921) was an American mining magnate, one of relatively few Latter-day Saints in 19th century Western America to find major success in the field.
After the death of his father Newel Knight, Jesse's f ...
purchased 1,600 acres of coal land and began developing a mine and a company town. Knight named the town ''Storrs'', after the mine superintendent.
The name of the town was changed to ''Spring Canyon'' in 1924. 1,000 tons of coal per day were mined from 1924 to 1943, and during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, coal production peaked at 2,000 tons of coal per day. By 1946, the need for coal diminished, and people began to leave. By 1969, Spring Canyon was abandoned.
History
Prior to the establishment of Spring Canyon, residents in
Helper mined
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when dea ...
from a small opening on the side of the mountain. In 1895,
Teancum Pratt constructed a wagon road in order to make coal transportation easier.
In 1912,
Jesse Knight
Jesse Knight (6 September 1845 — 14 March 1921) was an American mining magnate, one of relatively few Latter-day Saints in 19th century Western America to find major success in the field.
After the death of his father Newel Knight, Jesse's f ...
purchased 1,600 acres of land west of Helper, organized the Spring Canyon Coal Company, and constructed sixty homes. Knight also constructed a railroad in 1913 to the
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from De ...
line in Helper. Knight named the new town Storrs, after the mine superintendent George Storrs. Because Knight was a
Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
, he banned saloons and gambling houses from being constructed in the town. In 1914, a schoolhouse and a church were constructed for the townspeople, who were mostly members of the
LDS Church.
By the end of 1914, 1,000 tons of coal per day were being shipped.
By 1924, Storrs had 1,000 residents, a hotel, a heated swimming pool,
and well-built houses, offices, and stores.
At this time, George Storrs was charged with mail fraud, and the town's name was officially changed to Spring Canyon.
From 1924 to 1943, 1,000 tons of coal per day were mined,
and in 1940, the Spring Canyon mine was ranked as the fourth largest coal producer in Utah.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, 2,000 tons of coal per day were being mined. By 1946, the Spring Canyon mine had transported and mined eleven million tons of coal,
and by 1948, the Spring Canyon Coal Company was also operating the mines in
Standardville and
Royal
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
.
However, the need for coal began to diminish, and by 1954, only a small group of miners remained in Spring Canyon. The mine closed in 1969 due to low production and increasingly high costs. Only three families were living in Spring Canyon in 1969, and by the end of the year, Spring Canyon was abandoned.
When the mine first closed in 1969 and the town's residents relocated, few buildings were removed. The Spring Canyon Hotel, most of the homes, and the mine offices were left. However, in 1975, every building in Spring Canyon's business district was
demolished
Demolition (also known as razing, cartage, and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down of buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a ...
. The railroad trestle and the ruins of the residential section of town are the only remnants of the former coal mining town.
See also
*
Coal mining in the United States
Coal mining is an industry in transition in the United States. Production in 2019 was down 40% from the peak production of in 2008. Employment of 43,000 coal miners is down from a peak of 883,000 in 1923. Generation of electricity is the l ...
*
List of ghost towns in Utah
References
External links
{{authority control
Ghost towns in Carbon County, Utah
Populated places established in 1912
Mining communities in Utah
1912 establishments in Utah
Ghost towns in Utah