Alunite, Utah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alunite
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 Alunite
Location in Utah
Alunite
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Piute |
| Established | 1915 |
| Abandoned | 1930 |
| Named for | Alunite ore |
| Elevation | 6,555 ft (1,998 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1438187 |
Alunite is a ghost town located about 5 miles (8 km) south of Marysvale. It is found near the entrance of Cottonwood Canyon in Piute County, Utah, United States. This small town was important for mining during World War I. People lived in Alunite from around 1915 to 1930.
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History of Alunite
How Alunite Was Discovered
In 1912, a prospector named Thomas Gillan found a large amount of a mineral called spar in Cottonwood Canyon. He sent a sample to be tested. Experts identified it as alunite. This rock is rich in both aluminum and potash.
Gillan made a deal with the Mineral Products Corporation. They planned to dig up the alunite. Their goal was to get potash from it to make fertilizer.
Building the Town
By 1915, the company had built a factory at the canyon's entrance. This factory processed the alunite to produce potash. A small company town grew up around this factory. It was named Alunite.
Alunite was very close to Marysvale. Because of this, it never had its own church or main shopping area. However, it did have a school, a company store, and a post office.
Alunite During World War I
When the United States joined World War I, the Alunite mines became very important. They were the only place in the country already making potash. Potash was needed to create explosives for the war.
The government also saw that alunite contained aluminum. They set up a team to work 24 hours a day. This team experimented with ways to get alumina (which is used to make aluminum) from alunite. More workers meant the town's population grew to over 100 people.
The war also brought rumors of enemy spies and saboteurs. People blamed suspicious fires on enemy agents. There were also reports of people trying to bomb the potash factories. Others were said to be trying to gather secret information.
The Town's Decline
Most of the alunite mining stopped after World War I. The experiments to get aluminum from alunite were successful. But the methods they developed were too expensive to use regularly.
The need for potash also kept dropping. By 1930, it was too costly to produce. The mines closed down. The factory was taken apart. Alunite then became a ghost town.
There was a small attempt to get aluminum again during World War II. However, none of the town was ever rebuilt. Today, Alunite lies in ruins. You can still see many old foundations and walls.
