Frisco, Utah
Coordinates: 38 ° 27 '23 " N , 113 ° 15' 30" W.
Frisco is a ghost town in Beaver County in the state of Utah . From 1875, ore with a high silver content was mined here. The city of Frisco existed as a mining town until 1929. Then it was left to decay and became a ghost town. Ore has been mined again in their mines since 2002. Access to the site has since been restricted to the cemetery and charcoal kilns, which have been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982 .
location
The city is located in the summit region and on the eastern slope of the San Francisco Mountains , from which the name is derived. The metropolitan area is grazed by Utah State Route 21 at Frisco Summit.
history
1875 to 1885
In contrast to Newhouse , which is only about 8 kilometers west in the Wah Wah Valley , Frisco experienced its heyday in the 19th century when gold , silver , zinc , copper and lead were found in various mines . In September 1875, prospectors James Ryan and Samuel Hawks discovered ore nodules during investigations in the area of the Galena mine , whereupon they staked a claim. Since other deposits in the San Francisco Mining District had turned out to be less than minable, they sold their claim immediately - around 22,500 tons of ore with a high silver content were later mined here. Other mines in the area - especially the Horn Silver Mine - supplied large quantities of ore, which is why a steelworks with associated charcoal piles was built. The city grew rapidly, a post office was established and in 1880 the Utah Southern Railroad was extended from Milford to Frisco. The city became the undisputed center of the San Francisco Mining District, and the multitude of saloons , brothels, and other amusement establishments contributed to the city's dubious reputation. In 1879, the United States Annual Mining Review and Stock Ledger named the Horn Silver Mine as the world's most significant mining silver mine.
February 12, 1885
February 12, 1885 changed Frisco abruptly - the morning shift of the Horn Silver Mine was asked to wait before running in, as strong vibrations of the ground were noticeable. The night shift was asked to leave the mine . A little later, this fell to the seventh sole one - This was due to the inadequate security of the tunnels , which additionally complained by melt water and rain overburden could no longer bear. The collapse of the mine was also noticeable in Milford, almost 25 kilometers away, where windows were broken. Due to the care of the mine operators - who immediately evacuated the mine - there was no personal injury.
After 1885
Although the mine was reopened by the end of the year, it never came close to the production rates of the time before the mine disaster. From around 6,000 inhabitants around 1885, the population fell to around 500 at the turn of the century; In 1912 there were only 150 inhabitants. Frisco has been uninhabited since 1929.
Ores have been mined again in the mines since 2002, but the yield is rather low compared to that of the decade from 1876 to 1885, when ores with a value of 60 million US dollars were mined at the time.
tourism
Due to the resumption of mining activities, the possibility of a visit is limited to the cemetery and the charcoal piles, which have been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982 .
Web links
- Detailed account of the history (English)
- Description and pictures at ghosttowns.com (English)