Consumers, Utah facts for kids

Consumers is a fascinating ghost town located in Carbon County, Utah, in the United States. A ghost town is a place where people used to live and work, but now it's mostly empty. Consumers was once a busy community where people mined coal. It's nestled in the Gordon Valley, close to other old mining towns that are also now ghost towns, like National and Clear Creek.

The Story of Consumers

How Consumers Began

The story of Consumers starts with coal. People found coal in this area way back in 1908. But the big mining operations didn't really kick off until the 1920s.

The town wasn't always called Consumers. Its first name was Gibson. It was named after Arthur E. Gibson. He bought a lot of land, almost 1,500 acres, before 1920.

In the winter of 1921–22, Mr. Gibson started digging for coal. He hired workers to help him develop the mine.

A New Name and New Ways to Mine

By 1924, a company called the Consumers Mutual Coal Company was formed. That's when the town of Gibson changed its name to Consumers.

The Consumers Mine was quite special for its time. It was the first mine in Utah to use conveyor belts to move the coal. Before this, mines used small trains or "mine cars" to haul the coal. Conveyor belts made the work faster and easier!

In September 1927, the Consumers Mutual Coal Company was sold. A new company, the Blue Blaze Coal Company, took over the mine.

Life in the Mining Town

Life in Consumers was connected to its nearby neighbors. The town shared important services with National and Sweet.

These shared services included a post office, a school house, a hospital, and even an amusement hall. This hall was a place where people could gather for fun and entertainment. Consumers also had its own store and a central well for water.

Why Consumers Became a Ghost Town

The coal mine in Consumers closed down in February 1938. This was a tough time for the town.

However, the mine reopened in October 1939 under new owners. Mining continued for a while.

Sometime in the 1940s, the Hudson Coal Company bought all the coal mining operations in the Gordon Valley. Even though modern mining still happens in the area today, the town of Consumers itself was abandoned. By the end of the 1940s, most people had left.

Today, if you visit Consumers, you'll only find a few old, crumbling buildings and foundations. These are the last reminders of a once-busy coal mining community.