Mercur, Utah facts for kids
Mercur is a historic ghost town in Tooele County, Utah. It was once a busy place for hard rock mining. In 1891, Mercur became famous for being the first place in the United States to successfully use a new way to get gold out of rocks. This method is called the cyanide process, and it's still very important in mining today. Mercur is located high up, about 2,042 meters (6,700 feet) above sea level. The nearby Mercur Gold Mine was reopened in 1985 by a company called Barrick Gold. Mining stopped again in 1997, and the area was cleaned up and restored until about 2010.
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The Early Days of Mercur
The town of Mercur first started in 1870. Back then, it was called Lewiston. This was after gold was found at the top of Lewiston Canyon. This canyon is about six miles west of a town called Cedar Fort today. A small "gold rush" began, and many people came hoping to find gold. The town grew quickly, with about 2,000 people living there by 1873.
Silver Mining and a New Discovery
In the mid-1870s, people started looking for silver. New silver mines opened, and special mills were built to process the silver ore. A lot of silver was sent out of the valley. But the silver didn't last long, and by 1880, Lewiston became a ghost town.
In 1879, a miner from Bavaria named Arie Pinedo found a new type of rock called cinnabar in the area. This rock contained both gold and mercury. However, the mining methods at that time couldn't get the gold out. Other similar discoveries were made throughout the 1880s.
The Cyanide Process Revolution
In 1890, some farmers from Nebraska bought the Mercur mining claim. They tried to use an old method to get gold, but it didn't work for Mercur's ore. One of the partners, Gilbert S. "Gill" Peyton, who used to be a pharmacist, heard about a new method called the cyanide process. This process was still new and not perfect.
Gill Peyton worked hard to solve the problems with this new method for the Mercur ores. By December 1891, he proved that the cyanide process worked! This was the first time it was successfully used in the United States. Because of this success, Peyton and his brother-in-law, Hal Brown, became very rich. Other partners, like John Dern, also became wealthy. The cyanide process soon became the main way to get gold in the western United States.
Mercur Becomes a Boomtown
The success of the cyanide process started another gold rush. Miners could now get gold from newly dug ore and even from old piles of waste rock. Soon, enough people came to build a new town on the old site. But the name Lewiston was already being used by another town. So, the citizens chose the name Mercur, after the company that owned the mine. This company was named after Pinedo's original claim.
In 1894, a railroad line was built to Mercur. Many mining companies worked in the area. The biggest was the Golden Gate Mining Company. It had the largest cyanide mill in the U.S. between 1898 and 1902. A young engineer named Daniel C. Jackling, who later became famous for the Bingham Canyon mine, designed this mill. In 1902, the Golden Gate operation was sold to the Derns and their partners, who formed Mercur Consolidated. Gill Peyton and Hal Brown had already sold their shares by then.
Life in Mercur
Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worked as miners in Mercur. The church didn't have a formal group in Mercur until 1896. In 1899, missionaries were sent to the town. They were successful in helping church members and gaining new ones. Because of this, a church group called a ward was officially formed in Mercur on July 1, 1900.
In 1902, a big fire started in the business part of town. It burned almost the entire city to the ground. But the people of Mercur quickly rebuilt the town, and mining started again. At its busiest time, about 5,000 people lived in Mercur.
Mercur had a large community of Italian immigrants. Young men came to Mercur because they could earn good wages and were excited by the idea of the American "wild west"]. Because of the Italian community, Columbus Day became a very important event in Mercur. There were parades, games, and performances by the Mercur City Band.
The End of Mercur
The church ward in Mercur was closed in 1913. This happened because the mines had shut down, and most of the people had moved away. By 1916, only one building was left in Mercur. By 1930, even that last building was gone.
The Modern Mercur Gold Mine
The Mercur Gold Mine was reopened in 1985. It was operated by Barrick Mercur Gold Mines Foundation, which is part of Barrick Gold. The mine produced about $20 million worth of gold each year.
Mercur is also known for finding rare minerals. One of these is lorándite, which contains thallium. Mining operations stopped again in 1997. The processing mill continued to run until late 1998 to finish processing the remaining ore.
Images for kids
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The McIntyre Mansion in Salt Lake City, also known as Peyton Hall. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
