Ajax, Utah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ajax
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 Ajax
Location in Utah
Ajax
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Tooele |
| Established | 1869 |
| Abandoned | 1900 |
| Named for | William Ajax |
Ajax is a ghost town in Utah, United States. It's in the southeastern part of Tooele County. This town grew around a special store. A man named William Ajax started it in 1869. He was an immigrant from Wales.
He ran the 'Ajax Underground Store' until he died in 1899. After that, most people left by 1900, and the town disappeared. Today, only a hole in the ground shows where it was. A historical marker stands nearby.
History
Welsh farmers first settled this area in 1863. They called their small village 'Centre' (or 'Center'). It was in the middle of the valley, between Stockton and Vernon. In the 1860s, many mines opened in eastern Tooele County. This led to small towns popping up all over the region.
In 1869, William Ajax moved his family to the Centre area. His department store business in Salt Lake City was not doing well. He learned about the growing market for hay to sell to the mines. So, he started growing hay.
He built a two-room adobe house near his hay fields. This was a permanent home. William Ajax was used to running a shop, not farming. Soon, he began selling dry goods and supplies from his kitchen shelf. He sold them to travelers passing by. His business grew very fast. By 1870, a post office was set up in his store. The store had become too big for his house and needed its own building.
Underground Department Store
William Ajax had lived in an underground home. So, he decided to build an underground store. He started digging into the desert soil. He lined the hole with cedar timbers. He made a room about 1800 square feet (160 m2) in size. It was 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 m) deep. Then, he added roof beams and an earthen roof. He also put in a south-facing skylight. The Ajax Underground Store was ready for business!
From the start, this store was more than a simple general store. It sold expensive textiles and fancy imported tableware. It also sold things people needed for frontier life. Miners and ranchers could buy supplies for winter. Their wives could look at elegant cut crystal glassware and pretty figurines. They could do this in comfort, safe from the harsh desert weather.
The store became a meeting place for people from nearby towns. These included Mercur, Stockton, and Ophir. It was also an important stop for travelers. Soon, an above-ground hotel was added. It had stables and corrals for 100 horses, 300 cattle, and 6,000 sheep. The settlement started to grow into a town. It was first called Puckerville, but that name didn't last. The post office kept the name Centre, but people called the place Ajax.
William needed more space. He kept digging until the store's main room was 80 feet (24 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) wide. More rooms branched off from it. The Ajax Underground Store grew to a total area of 11,000 square feet (1000 m2). It held over $75,000 worth of goods. People said the "Big Store" did more business than any similar store in Salt Lake City.
Decline
The store started to lose business when the railroad was built nearby. People could easily travel to Salt Lake City for shopping. William Ajax died in 1899. He left the store to his sons. But the town of Ajax quickly faded away. By 1900, only the Ajax family remained. They kept running the store, but faced more and more competition. Mail order catalogs were especially bad for their business.
The closure of Mercur in 1913 was the final blow. The Ajax Underground Store had to close in 1914. Most of the buildings above ground were moved to other places. But the underground store had to stay. In the 1920s, it became a popular shelter for passing hoboes. However, one of their fires burned it completely. Now, only a dip in the ground marks the spot where Ajax once stood.
