TREASURE HOUSE RELICS Project
Accidents & Death in the Mines

Mining in the old west, as it is today, could be a very dangerous occupation. Falling rock, unexploded rounds, broken cables, falling cages, bad air, worn out tools, poor timber, excess water and dozens of other causes could leave a man or boy wounded or killed.
 
Wounds could vary from the minor, to the very sevier; broken bones, amputated limbs, lost eyesight. All these were hazzards that any miner could face on any day.
 
This section of the eMuseum is dedicated to telling some of the stories of those who were wounded or killed in the mines of Utah. Accident documents of this type are extremely rare, and though they relate to a difficult subject matter, they tell the story that without question is a part of Utah's mining history, albeit a sad and lamentable part.
 
In 2012, I was given access to a private archive, a portion of which contained a number of Accident Reports. They include reports from the Weber Coal Company at Coalville, Utah, and the Daly West Mining Company, and Ontario Silver Mining Company, both of Park City, Utah.
 
The type of accidents vary, as do the results. Though these reports are from a small number of properties, they give a clear picture of the hazzards of working in Utah's early day mines.
 
Special thanks to our Private Donor for access and permission to share these records.  
 
 
 

ACCIDENTS in UTAH MINES

DEATH in UTAH MINES

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