Projects - Ghost Town (2014-2016)
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Spring Canyon | About the Artist | Spring Canyon QR Code | Newsletter
Spring Canyon Railroad Trestle
The town of Spring Canyon is on a road with the unglamorous name of Sowbelly Gulch. There are numerous ghost towns up the beautiful winding canyons in Carbon County, Utah; many of these towns can be accessed by car, though it is much easier with a 4-wheel drive vehicle and a good pair of hiking shoes.
Spring Canyon Mine Shop Building
In 1912, Jesse Knight purchased 1600 acres in what had originally been called Spring Canyon to develop a town and the Spring Canyon Mining Company. Originally Knight named the town Storrs in 1912, after the mine superintendent, but the town's name was changed to Spring Canyon in 1924 after George Storrs was accused of mail fraud. By 1924 the town had 1,000 residents, a railroad, hotel, heated swimming pool, church, schoolhouse, stores, and offices. Storrs was also a dry town. By 1940, Spring Canyon produced 1,000 tons of coal a day and was ranked as the 4th largest coal producer in Utah. During the Second World War, Spring Canyon increased their production to 2,000 tons a day. But, in the 1950's production was decreasing and by 1969 the mine was completely abandoned. The inhabitants of Spring Canyon moved on, leaving the town's buildings behind. In 1974 the buildings were demolished.
Spring Canyon Mine Entrance
Spring Canyon is not immediately obvious if you don't know what you are looking for. Though the buildings have been leveled, there are still a number of foundations remaining. Further up the road - the left fork of Spring Canyon is located at a Y in the road (a.k.a. Sowbelly Gulch) - there still stands the Spring Canyon mine shop building. I thought this was an interesting site because of its name change history and for its success when the coal was abundant. Using Google Earth certainly clarifies the area and gives you a fair idea of the topography for the town, though it lacks the detail for the mine shop building area, which is located across a gully that you'll need to hike. The entire canyon is littered with ruins, so it's easy to get distracted!
Projects | Ghost Town | Guidelines | Sites | Map | Participants | Publicity | Artist's Projects | Comments |
Spring Canyon | About the Artist | Spring Canyon QR Code | Newsletter
| by Jennifer Gray |
|
The town of Spring Canyon is on a road with the unglamorous name of Sowbelly Gulch. There are numerous ghost towns up the beautiful winding canyons in Carbon County, Utah; many of these towns can be accessed by car, though it is much easier with a 4-wheel drive vehicle and a good pair of hiking shoes.
|
| by Jennifer Gray |
|
In 1912, Jesse Knight purchased 1600 acres in what had originally been called Spring Canyon to develop a town and the Spring Canyon Mining Company. Originally Knight named the town Storrs in 1912, after the mine superintendent, but the town's name was changed to Spring Canyon in 1924 after George Storrs was accused of mail fraud. By 1924 the town had 1,000 residents, a railroad, hotel, heated swimming pool, church, schoolhouse, stores, and offices. Storrs was also a dry town. By 1940, Spring Canyon produced 1,000 tons of coal a day and was ranked as the 4th largest coal producer in Utah. During the Second World War, Spring Canyon increased their production to 2,000 tons a day. But, in the 1950's production was decreasing and by 1969 the mine was completely abandoned. The inhabitants of Spring Canyon moved on, leaving the town's buildings behind. In 1974 the buildings were demolished.
|
| by Jennifer Gray |
|
Spring Canyon is not immediately obvious if you don't know what you are looking for. Though the buildings have been leveled, there are still a number of foundations remaining. Further up the road - the left fork of Spring Canyon is located at a Y in the road (a.k.a. Sowbelly Gulch) - there still stands the Spring Canyon mine shop building. I thought this was an interesting site because of its name change history and for its success when the coal was abundant. Using Google Earth certainly clarifies the area and gives you a fair idea of the topography for the town, though it lacks the detail for the mine shop building area, which is located across a gully that you'll need to hike. The entire canyon is littered with ruins, so it's easy to get distracted!