La Plata, Utah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
La Plata, Utah
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 La Plata, Utah
Location in Utah
La Plata, Utah
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Cache |
| Founded | 1891 |
| Abandoned | 1894 |
| Named for | Spanish for "silver" |
| Elevation | 7,470 ft (2,277 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1448560 |
La Plata is a ghost town located in Cache County, Utah, United States. It sits high up in the Bear River Mountains. La Plata was a busy silver mining town for a short time in the 1890s. Its name, "La Plata," means "silver" in Spanish.
Contents
History of La Plata
The Discovery of Silver
The story of La Plata began in July 1891. A mountain shepherd found a very heavy rock. He showed it to his boss. The boss realized it was silver-bearing galena, a type of ore that contains silver and lead.
They took the rock to Ogden to have it tested. This test is called an assay. The results were amazing: the rock was 45% lead and had a huge amount of silver. It contained 400 ounces of silver per ton!
The two men quietly claimed the land for mining. But the secret soon got out. More rich silver deposits were found nearby. This started a big "silver rush."
The Silver Rush Begins
This was the first major silver discovery in Utah north of Salt Lake City. Many people from northern Utah became very interested. By August 1891, over 1,000 miners had arrived. Soon, the number reached 1,500 people.
Lines of cabins and stores quickly appeared along the creek. This new settlement was named La Plata. The town grew to have about 60 to 70 buildings. These included two stores, several saloons, a bank, and a post office.
A Unique Mining Town
La Plata was different from most other mining towns in the Old West. Many of its residents were local farmers and workers who had temporarily become miners. Because of this, the town was quite peaceful. It never even needed a cemetery, as there were no killings.
The Thatcher Brothers Bank in Logan bought the original silver claim, which was called the Sundown Mine. The silver ore was first sent north to Logan. From there, it was transported by train to Salt Lake City.
Local counties were asked to build roads to La Plata. The road from Cache County was finished first. It was still a difficult journey, but it was the best way to reach the remote town.
Challenges and Decline
La Plata's high elevation meant very harsh winters. Few people stayed in town after the first mining season in 1891. By January 1892, only about 150 people remained. Also, the richest silver ore, which was found close to the surface, began to run out.
When warmer weather returned, a second, smaller rush occurred. The population grew back to 600 by July 1892. However, by this time, large companies controlled most of the mining. Local farmers who had hoped to get rich found they couldn't compete with experienced miners from other parts of the Western United States.
The town also faced legal problems. In 1892, two lawsuits were filed. People claimed they owned the land where the silver was found. These lawsuits caused major issues for the mines. Temporary orders even forced most of the mines to close down.
Although one lawsuit was settled in 1894 and the other decided in favor of the miners in 1895, the legal battles hurt the town badly. The silver mining operations struggled to recover. Then, the Panic of 1893 hit, which was a big economic crisis. This crisis caused many silver mines across the country to close.
A few mines in La Plata stayed open for a while, producing lead. But when the price of lead also dropped, the town could not survive. La Plata was mostly abandoned by 1894. Some small mining activity continued until about 1906.
Today, the site of La Plata is on private land. This has helped preserve some old cabins. You can still see old mining machinery and collapsing mine shafts, which are reminders of the old silver rush.
