Standardville 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. Standardville was established after coal was discovered in the area in 1912. The layout of the town was so well-planned, it became the "standard" for all mining towns to follow, which resulted in the town name of Standardville. In 1922, a group of

striking Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

miners killed a mine guard and wounded two miners before escaping. In 1930, 20 miners were killed in a

mine explosion A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground mining (hard rock), underground coal mining, although accidents al ...

caused by

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

gas. In 1950, the mine shut down and people began to relocate elsewhere. A couple families remained until the 1970s, after which Standardville was abandoned.

History

The town was established after coal was discovered in Spring Canyon in 1912. The town layout was planned with well maintained lawns, bushes, and poplar trees. This became the "standard" for coal mining towns in Spring Canyon, and the town was named Standardville. As Standardville's population increased, a company store, several

apartment An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...

s, a

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesal ...

shop, a barber shop, a

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

, a recreation hall,

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...

s, and an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

were constructed. At its peak, the population was about 550. Although it was considered the standard for mining towns, Standardville still had problems with crime. On June 14, 1922, several miners went on strike and attacked a train carrying several new miners from both sides. The striking miners then fled and were pursued by mine guards. The shooting that occurred killed a mine guard and wounded two others. On February 6, 1930, an explosion caused by

firedamp Firedamp is any flammable gas found in coal mines, typically coalbed methane. It is particularly found in areas where the coal is bituminous. The gas accumulates in pockets in the coal and adjacent strata and when they are penetrated the releas ...

gas occurred in the Standard mine. Of the 29 miners that were working in the mine, 20 were immediately killed by the explosion. Rescue workers attempted to rescue the nine survivors, and while they were searching, a cave-in killed three of them. The nine survivors were able to escape. The explosion had a large impact on the mine and community; however, the town continued to grow. When

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 ...

ended, the demand for

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 ...

decreased, and the mine was unable to meet its payroll as a result. In an attempt to save the mine,

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, ...

s worked only for food. This attempt was unsuccessful, and the mine went bankrupt and was foreclosed on. Another coal mining company bought it, and shipments continued a couple months later. By 1948, the mine was being operated by the Spring Canyon Coal Company; however, in 1950, the mine was closed. As miners moved away, shops, the hospital, and the school were closed. Despite this, two families continued to live in the town until the 1970s.

Remnants

The coal tipple has deteriorated, leaving behind the coal storage unit. Numerous foundations can be found. At the top of the hill lies the bath house, where miners bathed and changed clothes. Remains of the Standard Mine can be found beyond the bath house.

Railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

tracks that were once the property of 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 ...

end in town. Due to its proximity to the road, many of the remnants have

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

. The town is now fenced off and posted as private property, but most of the ruins can be seen from the road.

Demographics

Standardville was included in the United States Census twice. The Census of 1930 showed 506 people living in town. By

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

, Standardville's population had increased to 532. By 1950, Standardville's population had dropped considerably enough to not be included in that year's census.

Gallery

Image:AntelopeIslandEchoGhosttowns_186.jpg, Miners bath house Image:AntelopeIslandEchoGhosttowns 178.jpg, a mining truck shop Image:AntelopeIslandEchoGhosttowns 202.jpg, A couple buildings

References

External links