- Location
- Stinkwater
No. But we could come over Pole Line Pass I believe, or just ride bikes up 085 from Tibble...
Poll: American Fork Canyon Trail Book?
- Thread starter cruiseroutfit
- Start date
- Location
- Stinkwater
That seems drastic. Wouldn't breaking a kneecap or chopping off a finger send the same message?I should clarify, sharing is cool so long as it's credited. I have folks use my before and after photos and text on FB with zero credit. They are no longer alive.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Unfortunately not from Tibble Fork. I did a field trip to the washout(s) with Utah County Road Department, the Sheriff and misc stake holders last year on a trip organized by the vigilant Mark Allen of PPAFC. It's a burecratic cluster, as bad as they come imo. The Forest Service has zero plan (as of yesterday) to get the required engineering necessary to come up with a fix. They have budget and resource issues. The County on the other hand has no budget for this repair BUT has several engineering firms on retainer and they looked at it and said "easy fix". In the mean time, we the public are out our access from Utah County.
I'm not sure what I was showing them all here but I'm confident it was important
This is the site of the actual washout, just to the right of me.
The road IS passable by a full-size 4x4 but admittedly sketchy with high consequence. Given the way the road is driven and the talent level of users... I'm not surprised the FS made the judgement call to close it.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Circling back. The Dutchman Mill was built by the Fissures Exploration Company in 1917. It was moved to the Pacific Mine (where you can see the massive foundations still) in 1918. There were earlier mills at the Dutchman, as The Dutchman Mine was worked up until 1949.
What did that mill at the Pacific look like? Well I'm glad you asked. This is now and then vs then and now
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
I'll spoil much of the fun, many other then/now or now/then here:
Thursty
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Green River
Was the destroying angel Shorter Rockwell set loose upon them?I should clarify, sharing is cool so long as it's credited. I have folks use my before and after photos and text on FB with zero credit. They are no longer alive.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
I categorically deny all allegations I know anything about anything.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
OK, one more for the day. This ad ran in the Desert News in the summer of 1872. The railroad was already up the canyon and nearly to Deer Creek City but they had goals of reaching Forest City. I read a neat tidbit today about discussion of building a rail road tunnel from Little Cottonwood Canyon to American Fork Canyon. Ironically there is a short one that hauls skiers these days. Interestingly the mail to Brighton was delivered via the Little Cottonwood Canyon and into Big Cottonwood Canyon via mine workings that connected the two canyons.
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- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Todays dose of American Fork Canyon medicine
Before & After from American Fork Canyon. These charcoal kilns and railroad water tank stood where the modern day Tibble Fork Reservoir parking lot now sits. Under the reservoir was the site of Deer Creek City. In later years the tracks were removed, town faded away and an ore tram and loading tipple occupied the site. Precious ore from the Live Yankee Mine in Mary Ellen Gulch worked its way over the ridges to the site. I’ll share a before and after or that too!
Before & After from American Fork Canyon. These charcoal kilns and railroad water tank stood where the modern day Tibble Fork Reservoir parking lot now sits. Under the reservoir was the site of Deer Creek City. In later years the tracks were removed, town faded away and an ore tram and loading tipple occupied the site. Precious ore from the Live Yankee Mine in Mary Ellen Gulch worked its way over the ridges to the site. I’ll share a before and after or that too!
glockman
I hate Jeep trucks
- Location
- Pleasant Grove
This stuff is super cool Kurt. Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge and passion. I love the now vs then pictures. Keep it coming.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Despite a wild night in Helper, I wasn't going to miss history tidbit for the day.
They must have found those "100 Men" to finish the grading work into Deer Creek City. However they failed to push onto their planned Forest City station as the railroad never made it's way past the water tank and coke ovens pictured above. Instead a stage would continue to service passengers from the trains terminus to the bustling Forest City. By 1878 the rail road was abandoned and removed from the canyon and the American Fork Wagon Road Company formed, charging a toll to use the "road" up to the mines. But the need for ore transportation higher in the canyon didn't subside. Ore would be hauled by wagon in the summer months and drug over the snow in the winter months but it was still too laborious and slow, particularly as large scale mining in a improved techniques increase mine output in the following century. Enter the Tram. On July 15, 1931, ground was broken on Yankee tramway by Riblet Tramway Company of Spokane Washington. It would be completed in November that same year, connecting the Live Yankee Mine in Mary Ellen Gulch with Deer Creek. Each tram bucket had a capacity of 500lbs of ore and would hover hundreds of feet above the canyon floor as it traversed the ridges and descended to the ore tipple at Deer Creek. There it would be loaded by truck and transported over the now abandoned railroad grade to the mills in the valley. The tram would see heavy use in the initial years but by the 1940's all major mining had ceased in the canyon and from 1950-1951, the bulk of the tram was dismantled and moved out of the canyon. Foundations and several of the towers can still be seen with a careful eye or an aimed hike.
And that brings us to another before & after. Here is the tram tipple (not tibble) that would have stood halfway in the water at Tibble Fork Reservoir.
They must have found those "100 Men" to finish the grading work into Deer Creek City. However they failed to push onto their planned Forest City station as the railroad never made it's way past the water tank and coke ovens pictured above. Instead a stage would continue to service passengers from the trains terminus to the bustling Forest City. By 1878 the rail road was abandoned and removed from the canyon and the American Fork Wagon Road Company formed, charging a toll to use the "road" up to the mines. But the need for ore transportation higher in the canyon didn't subside. Ore would be hauled by wagon in the summer months and drug over the snow in the winter months but it was still too laborious and slow, particularly as large scale mining in a improved techniques increase mine output in the following century. Enter the Tram. On July 15, 1931, ground was broken on Yankee tramway by Riblet Tramway Company of Spokane Washington. It would be completed in November that same year, connecting the Live Yankee Mine in Mary Ellen Gulch with Deer Creek. Each tram bucket had a capacity of 500lbs of ore and would hover hundreds of feet above the canyon floor as it traversed the ridges and descended to the ore tipple at Deer Creek. There it would be loaded by truck and transported over the now abandoned railroad grade to the mills in the valley. The tram would see heavy use in the initial years but by the 1940's all major mining had ceased in the canyon and from 1950-1951, the bulk of the tram was dismantled and moved out of the canyon. Foundations and several of the towers can still be seen with a careful eye or an aimed hike.
And that brings us to another before & after. Here is the tram tipple (not tibble) that would have stood halfway in the water at Tibble Fork Reservoir.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Speaking of Helper (and this is random), @moab_cj5 and I were talking with Roman, the director of the Helper Museum tonight at the premier of 'Remembering Castle Gate'. He was part of the production and we discussed setting up a private tour for ExpeditionUtah, we're nerds like that and museum and special tours are our jam. I was briefly talking to him about my love of mining history throughout the state, particularly American Fork Canyon. Just then I remembered that on one of my many visits to the Helper Museum many years ago (2007), I recalled seeing an AF Canyon mining picture from 1873. It was in one of the upstairs rooms and just hanging on the wall along with some other misc mine photos. I need to reconnect with Roman and his predecessor Jason at the museum to see if they still know where it is and by chance if they have any clue how it came to live in the Helper Museum. That photo:
What are we looking at? That's a scene from high on Miller Hill, looking down into Mary Ellen Gulch. I'd like to find a better copy of that photo (and may have one in my files) and recreate that as a 'Before and After'. Perhaps I can get that one from the Helper folks
Not identical placement but this random photo I took covers some of the same Mary Ellen Gulch setting. You can see the Live Yankee and Globe Mines in the gulch just above the cabin in the earlier photo
What are we looking at? That's a scene from high on Miller Hill, looking down into Mary Ellen Gulch. I'd like to find a better copy of that photo (and may have one in my files) and recreate that as a 'Before and After'. Perhaps I can get that one from the Helper folks
Not identical placement but this random photo I took covers some of the same Mary Ellen Gulch setting. You can see the Live Yankee and Globe Mines in the gulch just above the cabin in the earlier photo
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Lets talk more about that railroad and later road.
Another before and after from American Fork Canyon. These are both historic photos courtesy of the USHS and BYU archives. Formation of the and construction of the American Fork Railroad took was underway in 1871 and was completed to the Deer Creek Station by November 26, 1872. It would be operated by the American Fork Railroad Company from 1872-1878, connecting American Fork City and Deer Creek City at the present day location of Tibble Fork Reservoir. The railroad was originally planned to extend all the way to the Sultana Smelter at Forest City (near the trail head for the popular Forest Lake 4x4 trail) however the steep grades and harsh winters made the effort futile and it never steamed past Deer Creek City. When the tracks were scrapped in 1878, the original rail grade became the road we still use to this day with minor exceptions. Hanging rock was approximately one mile above the Timpanogos Cave visitor center and for many years served as a land mark for the railroad, wagon road and later cars. In much later years it was blasted to prevent rockfall dangers.
Another before and after from American Fork Canyon. These are both historic photos courtesy of the USHS and BYU archives. Formation of the and construction of the American Fork Railroad took was underway in 1871 and was completed to the Deer Creek Station by November 26, 1872. It would be operated by the American Fork Railroad Company from 1872-1878, connecting American Fork City and Deer Creek City at the present day location of Tibble Fork Reservoir. The railroad was originally planned to extend all the way to the Sultana Smelter at Forest City (near the trail head for the popular Forest Lake 4x4 trail) however the steep grades and harsh winters made the effort futile and it never steamed past Deer Creek City. When the tracks were scrapped in 1878, the original rail grade became the road we still use to this day with minor exceptions. Hanging rock was approximately one mile above the Timpanogos Cave visitor center and for many years served as a land mark for the railroad, wagon road and later cars. In much later years it was blasted to prevent rockfall dangers.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Early map showing just the railroad in the canyon. Forest Lake is shown on the map but Tibble Fork, Silver Lake Flat and Silver Lake were future endeavors as was the Alpine Loop into Provo Canyon.
jeepin4x4james
WAAAAA
- Location
- Bluffdale, UT
So cool.
When’s the book coming out?!
Better do a coffee table version too, mostly pictures and lots of the before and afters
When’s the book coming out?!
Better do a coffee table version too, mostly pictures and lots of the before and afters
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Where did all those miners live? While many lived in Deer Creek and Forest City (and perhaps this mythical Carbonate), many lived adjacent to the mines they worked. Cabins remains can be found at sites throughout the canyon, Major Evans, Mary Ellen, Miller Hill, the Dutchman and Pacific Mine, Pittsburg Lake, Holman Flats, etc.
Another Before & After from American Fork Canyon. This vantage point is high on Miller Hill, looking northeast into Mineral Basin (the near valley) and into the Midway/Heber Valley with the Uinta Mountains on the horizon. The road/trail that can be seen in the bottom left of the photos is the Pittsburg Lake Trail, leading to mines such as the Smuggler Tunnel and Centennial Tunnel. The cabin and mine tailings in the bottom right are at Bredemeyer Mine, first located in 1875 by William Bredemeyer (resident of Forest City). Other mines on Miller Hill include the Kalamazoo, Orion, Oliver, Knights of Pythias, Wild Dutchman, etc and were operated by names like Jesse Knight (of Knightsville/Eureka fame) and George Tyng (the nearby gravesite ExpeditionUtah restored). All of these mines were closed/reclaimed in the 1990’s as part of an abandoned mine reclamation project. While the mines are closed, the history is worth the visit if you know where to look.
Another Before & After from American Fork Canyon. This vantage point is high on Miller Hill, looking northeast into Mineral Basin (the near valley) and into the Midway/Heber Valley with the Uinta Mountains on the horizon. The road/trail that can be seen in the bottom left of the photos is the Pittsburg Lake Trail, leading to mines such as the Smuggler Tunnel and Centennial Tunnel. The cabin and mine tailings in the bottom right are at Bredemeyer Mine, first located in 1875 by William Bredemeyer (resident of Forest City). Other mines on Miller Hill include the Kalamazoo, Orion, Oliver, Knights of Pythias, Wild Dutchman, etc and were operated by names like Jesse Knight (of Knightsville/Eureka fame) and George Tyng (the nearby gravesite ExpeditionUtah restored). All of these mines were closed/reclaimed in the 1990’s as part of an abandoned mine reclamation project. While the mines are closed, the history is worth the visit if you know where to look.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
So cool.
When’s the book coming out?!
Better do a coffee table version too, mostly pictures and lots of the before and afters
A week from never. I'm still actively researching, cataloging and learning more. The final outlet is TBD. I don't have the photography skills for a legit coffee table book but could overcome that. After seeing the Helper documentaries, perhaps a short film is the best way to share what I've learning in hopes of preserving some of that history. Fun problem to noodle on, perhaps something I'll have sorted by the time I retire.
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
And a fun article to close the day. The Dutchman Mine is located just north of Forest City at Dutchman Flat, the modern trailhead of Mary Ellen Gulch. Bootleggers once occupied the site.
May 17, 1910 - Salt Lake Herald-Republican
May 17, 1910 - Salt Lake Herald-Republican
- Location
- Sandy, Ut
Today's a quick-hitter. I love these jovial newspaper articles. This is from the Salt Lake Herald-Republican, May 18, 1890. The mines discussed would later be worked by a Mr. George Tyng, we'll talk much on him later.
