National, Utah facts for kids

National is a 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. National is found along a stream called Gordon Creek.

A Town Built on Coal

National was founded around the 1920s. It was named after the National Coal Company. This company bought the local mines in the 1920s. Before that, coal was first found here in 1908. But big mining operations didn't start until the company took over.

Building the Town

All the buildings in National were made from the same type of brick. In 1921, the National Coal Company worked with another company. They built a railroad line from a town called Helper. This railroad helped move the coal from the mines.

Why the Town Became Empty

In July 1938, the National Coal Company stopped mining. The mine was later sold because of money problems. All the valuable mining tools and machines were sold off. For a short time, a new owner tried to keep mining. But soon after, the town of National was completely abandoned. Today, you can still see some old building foundations. A few crumbling buildings also remain.

Nearby Ghost Towns

National was not the only mining town in the area. It is very close to other ghost towns. These include Consumers and Sweets. These three towns shared important places. They had one post office, a school, a hospital, and a fun amusement hall. The ghost town of Coal City is also just a few miles away.