La Plata, Utah
Encyclopedia
La Plata is a ghost town
on the southern end of Cache County, Utah
, United States
. Located in the Bear River Mountains
on a small tributary
of the east fork of the Little Bear River
, La Plata was a short-lived silver mining
boomtown
in the 1890s.
in the area was discovered in July 1891 by a mountain shepherd
, who brought a curiously dense rock to show his foreman. The foreman recognized it as silver
-bearing galena
and took it to be assay
ed in Ogden
. The sample was 45% lead
, with a silver concentration of 400 ounces per ton. The two quietly registered a mining claim, but the secret got out. Several more high-grade ore pockets were found, and a silver rush
began. This was the first major Utah mining claim ever found north of Salt Lake City, and many northern Utahns became interested. By August 1891 more than 1000 miners had arrived, and the number soon reached 1500. Lines of cabins and stores stretched along either side of the creek, forming a town called La Plata (Spanish
for "silver"). There were 60–70 buildings in all, including two stores, saloons, a bank, and a post office.
Because La Plata was populated largely by locals who had temporarily become miners, it was different from most western mining camps. It never had a cemetery, as there were never any killings in town. When a few prostitutes tried to set up business here, they were driven out. The Thatcher Brothers Bank in Logan
bought the original claim, called the Sundown Mine. Ore was shipped north to Logan then transported by rail to Salt Lake City. Both Cache and Weber
counties were petitioned to build roads to the site; the Cache road was completed first and somewhat less difficult to travel, although there was no easy route to La Plata.
La Plata's high elevation made for harsh winters, and few people stayed after the 1891 season. Only 150 inhabitants were still found in January 1892. By then the richest ore had started to run out; the highest concentrations of silver were found on or close to the surface. The return of warmer weather brought a second, smaller rush; the population was back up to 600 by July 1892. By the summer of 1892, companies rather than individuals controlled most of the mining, and Utah farmers who had rushed in to get rich found they couldn't compete with the experienced miners who had come from all over the Western United States
. Confidence and profits were also hurt by a pair of lawsuits filed in 1892, the plaintiffs claiming to hold title to the lands where silver had been discovered. One suit was settled in 1894, and the other decided in favor of the miners in 1895, but the litigation, including temporary restraining orders that closed most of the mines, was very bad for business and for the community. The silver mining operations had little chance to recover before the Panic of 1893
, which closed many silver mines nationwide. A few mines remained open at La Plata, continuing to produce lead, until its price also dropped. The town did not last through 1894, although some sporadic mining activity continued as late as 1906.
Today the site of La Plata is surrounded by private land, which has helped preserve a few old cabins here. Mining machinery and collapsing shafts
also remain as traces of the old silver mines.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
on the southern end of Cache County, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located in the Bear River Mountains
Bear River Mountains
The Bear River Mountains are located in northeastern Utah and southeastern Idaho. One of the mountains' sinks recorded the lowest temperature in Utah on February 1, 1985, at , which is also the second-lowest temperature ever recorded in the contiguous United States. U.S...
on a small tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the east fork of the Little Bear River
Little Bear River
The Little Bear River is a tributary of the Bear River in northern Utah in the United States. It rises in the mountains east of Brigham City, where three forks join at Avon, then flows north to Paradise...
, La Plata was a short-lived silver mining
Silver mining
Silver mining refers to the resource extraction of the precious metal element silver by mining.-History:Silver has been known since ancient times. It is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and slag heaps found in Asia Minor and on the islands of the Aegean Sea indicate that silver was being separated...
boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
in the 1890s.
History
The first oreOre
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
in the area was discovered in July 1891 by a mountain shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
, who brought a curiously dense rock to show his foreman. The foreman recognized it as silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
-bearing galena
Galena
Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral.Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms...
and took it to be assay
Assay
An assay is a procedure in molecular biology for testing or measuring the activity of a drug or biochemical in an organism or organic sample. A quantitative assay may also measure the amount of a substance in a sample. Bioassays and immunoassays are among the many varieties of specialized...
ed in Ogden
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
. The sample was 45% lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, with a silver concentration of 400 ounces per ton. The two quietly registered a mining claim, but the secret got out. Several more high-grade ore pockets were found, and a silver rush
Silver rush
A Silver rush is the silver-mining equivalent of a gold rush.Notable silver rushes have taken place in Mexico, Argentina, the United States , and Canada...
began. This was the first major Utah mining claim ever found north of Salt Lake City, and many northern Utahns became interested. By August 1891 more than 1000 miners had arrived, and the number soon reached 1500. Lines of cabins and stores stretched along either side of the creek, forming a town called La Plata (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "silver"). There were 60–70 buildings in all, including two stores, saloons, a bank, and a post office.
Because La Plata was populated largely by locals who had temporarily become miners, it was different from most western mining camps. It never had a cemetery, as there were never any killings in town. When a few prostitutes tried to set up business here, they were driven out. The Thatcher Brothers Bank in Logan
Logan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
bought the original claim, called the Sundown Mine. Ore was shipped north to Logan then transported by rail to Salt Lake City. Both Cache and Weber
Weber County, Utah
Weber County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah, occupying a stretch of the Wasatch Front, part of the eastern shores of Great Salt Lake, and much of the rugged Wasatch Mountains. As of the 2000 census, the population was 196,533, an increase of 24.1% over its population in 1990. By...
counties were petitioned to build roads to the site; the Cache road was completed first and somewhat less difficult to travel, although there was no easy route to La Plata.
La Plata's high elevation made for harsh winters, and few people stayed after the 1891 season. Only 150 inhabitants were still found in January 1892. By then the richest ore had started to run out; the highest concentrations of silver were found on or close to the surface. The return of warmer weather brought a second, smaller rush; the population was back up to 600 by July 1892. By the summer of 1892, companies rather than individuals controlled most of the mining, and Utah farmers who had rushed in to get rich found they couldn't compete with the experienced miners who had come from all over the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. Confidence and profits were also hurt by a pair of lawsuits filed in 1892, the plaintiffs claiming to hold title to the lands where silver had been discovered. One suit was settled in 1894, and the other decided in favor of the miners in 1895, but the litigation, including temporary restraining orders that closed most of the mines, was very bad for business and for the community. The silver mining operations had little chance to recover before the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
, which closed many silver mines nationwide. A few mines remained open at La Plata, continuing to produce lead, until its price also dropped. The town did not last through 1894, although some sporadic mining activity continued as late as 1906.
Today the site of La Plata is surrounded by private land, which has helped preserve a few old cabins here. Mining machinery and collapsing shafts
Shaft mining
Shaft mining or shaft sinking refers to the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom....
also remain as traces of the old silver mines.
External links
- La Plata at GhostTowns.com