Ophir, Utah -
Another Living Ghost Town
Rock Hound Report, by Marilee Strech

While visiting my son and his family this summer, we decided to go see the old mining district near their home of Tooele, Utah.  There are several old ghost towns located in the canyons nearby---Ophir (known for silver and lead, Mercur (known for gold), and Joseph City (known for silver, lead and mercury).  Only Ophir is still inhabited, making it a living ghost town.  As it is located at an altitude of about 7000 feet, the winter snows prevented us from visiting it the last time we were in the area.  This little town in Utah is presently inhabited by 28 people---a far cry from the nearly 6,000 miners that worked the lead and silver mines here in this steep-sided canyon.  From 1870 to 1900, thirteen million dollars worth of ore was mined.  An additional twenty eight million was mined from 1900 until the close of the last mine in the 1970's.  When you are visiting the newly established Ophir Historic District,  try to picture 6,000 people crowded into the bottom of this canyon--it doesn't seem possible by today's standards that they really were here.  However, when you walk into the original cabins that have been moved to this site, you begin to see that they lived in very small homes with just the bare necessities, with no bathrooms or running water.  If you had a house that was two rooms crowded into a 12' by 12" area, you were considered well off.  Today, we think we need huge homes with all the amenities, with maybe two or three people in a  3,000 square foot area!

The original post office is here as well as a gift shop/museum located in one of the old railroad cars, leftover from the spur and trestle that carried the ore to the nearby mills at Stockton.  The trestle was jammed in high above the canyon floor.  All that is left of it now is one of the supports on the canyon wall, and a few feet of railroad track.  If you look up the slopes of the canyon, you can see some mine dumps way up high---I wonder, did the miners anchor themselves to trees to keep from sliding down the slope????    To  get directions to Ophir, located on the west end of the Oquirrh Mountains about 60 miles from Salt Lake City, you can use the Gem Trails of Utah book  by James Mitchell, where it is listed as a collecting site.   It is not possible to access most of the tailings as they are on private land at this time. However, there is a mine dump by the road just before you enter the town, where you may find some pyrite, galena, lead and possibly some small pieces of silver-bearing ore.  The upper slope of the little  Historic District has another dump where you may find some purple glass, old cans, nails  and a little pyrite ore.  However, the Historic District is only open from 11 am to 2 pm on Friday and Saturday.  If you continue on up the canyon past the town, you will come to an area where camping is allowed along the stream.  There are several old mine dumps in this area, with a road which accesses the next canyon over.  It might be worthwhile to check out these areas if you have time.  Again, be sure you are not collecting on private property without the owner's permission.

While you are in this area, you can collect at Vernon for wonderstone or go to the Dugway Geode beds for the famous blue agate crystal-lined geodes. These sites, as well as several others, are listed in the Gem Trails of Utah, with good directions to each of the sites.  You can also go to the visitor's center at the Kennecott Copper Mine at Magma, where you can view the open pit operation and see some historical  pictures from the early days of the mining there.  We approached the mine from the other side of the mountain, where the Kennecott Overlook, located at 9,000 feet up Middle Canyon, gives you a view of the greater South Salt Lake area as well as the mine.  The Kennecott Corporation owns the majority of the Oquirrh Mountain Range,  which are located just outside Salt Lake City. Up here at the top of the mountains, you can see some old mine dumps as well as the six new prospect pits currently being explored for new material.  The road up Middle Canyon is accessed by turning left on Vine St (south) from the  town of Tooele, about 30 miles west of the downtown area of Salt Lake.  Tooele is the county seat of Tooele County, and has several museums which are worth visiting while you are in this area.  These include a mining museum, railroad museum, and a privately owned military museum which is between Tooele and the next town of Grantsville.  If you are in the Salt Lake area, just take Interstate 80 West (toward Reno) to access the off ramps to Tooele and Grantsville.  Both are located within sight of the Great Salt Lake itself, worthy of your time and efforts.  Maybe I will see you there the next time I visit!