Haunted Utah by Andy Weeks

Author:Andy Weeks
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780811748759
Publisher: Stackpole Books

The Ghosts of Copperton

There’s something unique about the Oquirrh Mountains. You can’t help but notice the flat-topped, volcano-looking copper mines in the range’s middle-south section. These are the largest open-pit copper mines in the world. Now owned by Kennecott Copper, the site didn’t start out producing copper at all. Prospectors first sought gold from the ore-heavy mountains.

The U.S. Army first claimed the site in 1863, when soldiers, who doubled as prospectors, scoured the mountain range and claimed the site as their own. But it was the Bingham brothers, Thomas and Sandford, who first knew about the site’s rich ore supply. While grazing cattle in the area in the 1850s, they noticed deposits in the ground. Not knowing what they should do, they approached Brigham Young, who told them to leave it alone for fear of attracting outsiders. His ambition was thwarted when U.S. soldiers arrived and began prospecting the mountains. Before long, dozens of mining camps dotted the area. Lead and silver were the primary metals extracted from the mines, with small traces of gold. It later was discovered that the copper being extracted with the other metals was in much larger quantities, which was worth more than the small amounts of gold being retrieved. That changed the miners’ focus and their primary efforts soon went to extracting copper. The Utah Copper Company (now Kennecott Copper) was formed in 1903, driving more people to the area.

Bingham Canyon continued to grow in popularity and population. By the 1920s, it is estimated that more than fifteen thousand people lived in the canyon. A decade later, though, mining was becoming a much bigger beast, and it began to push residents from their homes as the operation expanded. A smelter established in 1906 in Garfield at the north end of the mountain near the Great Salt Lake grew its own town, but Bingham City was dying. Residents moved away. By 1961, Bingham City was gone. But like a haunting, residue of the past remains.

Copperton, a small community that in almost every way looks and feels old, still exists not far from Bingham Canyon. Old-style homes, tall shade trees, a cozy park, a gothic-looking church, the site of a now-razed school, and a lonely cemetery are the hallmarks of Copperton. A few newer homes, a post office, and a fire station also make their home here, but it’s the old houses, buildings, and trees that give the community its charm. And like any historic community, it has its ghosts.

I remember stories about the Old Bingham City Cemetery. When I was attending Bingham Middle School, there was a long-haired kid who was a class reject, a loner. I didn’t know him, only knew about him, and I felt sorry for the teenage boy. I tried talking with him once, but he didn’t seem to like the company. Then one day I heard the rumor. The boy was a devil worshipper. He had told a group of students one day during gym class that he was going

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