Silver City, Utah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Silver City, Utah
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Foundation of the smelter in Silver City
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 Silver City, Utah
Location in Utah
Silver City, Utah
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Juab |
| Established | 1869 |
| Abandoned | c. 1940 |
| Elevation | 6,158 ft (1,877 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1437686 |
Silver City is a ghost town in Utah, United States. It is located in Juab County, near the East Tintic Mountains. This town was once a busy place for silver mining. It was about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Salt Lake City.
Miners also found other valuable metals here, like copper, gold, and lead. People started living in Silver City in 1869 when the first mines opened. The town was mostly empty by 1930 after the mines ran out of ore.
A man named Jesse Knight, who was very good at finding ore, built a smelter in Silver City. A smelter is a factory that takes metal out of rock. He chose Silver City because it had flat land. Today, not much is left of the town, just some old mine holes and piles of rock. However, the Silver City Cemetery is still there and is a historic site.
Contents
The Story of Silver City
Early Discoveries and Growth
In 1869, a cowboy named George Rust was looking for minerals. He found old mines that Native Americans had used in a place called Dragon Canyon. By December, a big mine called Sunbeam was started there.
Soon, many new mines opened, and a mining camp quickly grew. But this growth slowed down. Many miners left to find riches in other towns like Alta and Park City.
Mining Challenges and Town Life
Getting the valuable metals from Silver City's mines was hard work. Unlike some mines that had easy-to-reach deposits, Silver City needed "hard rock mining." This meant digging deep into the ground.
At first, mine owners did not have much money. This made it slow to develop the mines. Slowly, the town grew from a few tents and a saloon. It added a blacksmith shop, a place to record mining claims, and an office to test ore.
The town also got a telegraph office and a stagecoach line. A post office opened, along with many stores, hotels, and restaurants. Two different railroads even built lines into Silver City. By 1899, about 800 people lived there.
Water Problems and Fire
In the 1890s, the mines started to hit water. The deep mine shafts began to fill up. The richest mines kept working by using expensive pumps. But smaller mines had to close because of the water.
Many miners left Silver City. Things got even worse when a big fire destroyed much of the town in 1902. By 1904, Silver City had only 18 businesses left.
Jesse Knight's Help
In 1907, Jesse Knight helped Silver City come back to life. He was already a successful mine owner. He built a company called the Utah Ore Sampling Company. He also built a new smelter in Silver City.
Knight built a power plant and about 100 new homes. He even built another railroad. By 1908, Silver City's population grew to its highest point, with 1,500 people. Most of them worked for Jesse Knight. That year, the town had a special party called "Smelter Day."
The Town's Decline
Silver City's new success did not last long. Jesse Knight's smelter could not compete with bigger smelters in the Salt Lake Valley. This was because it became cheaper to ship ore to other places.
By 1912, the town's population had dropped to 300 people. Only 8 businesses were left. In 1915, the smelter was closed and moved away. Silver City was mostly empty by 1930. However, in 1940, 111 people were still counted as living in the area. Today, no one lives there.
