May 15 03.qxd 12/7/2021 Volume VIII Issue III 4:02 PM Page 9 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 9 May 15, 2003 La Plata In July 1891 a sheepherder named Johnson was following his sheep in the shadow of James Peak near the head of the Little Bear River in Cache County. He picked up a rock to throw at his dog and noticed that it was unusually heavy. Johnson took the rock to his foreman, W.H. Ney, who recognized it as silver-lead galena and took it to Ogden for assaying. The sample was 45% lead, and carried 400 ounces of silver to the ton! Johnson and Ney had no sooner registered their La Plata claim in Logan than the rush was on. In less than a month, more than a thousand miners were on the scene, and newspapers reported 100 men passing through Ogden every day headed for the new diggings. Tents and cabins sprung up as fast as daisies in the spring, while mine machinery and dynamite blasts rocked the mountain’s tranquillity. Johnson didn’t like the new surroundings and sold his half of the La Plata claim for $600, which wasn’t the smartest move he ever made. The new camp, named La Plata, Spanish for silver, was quickly taken over by Salt Lake and Park City mining men, who lost no time turning it into a boom camp. Before the first winter, there were several dry goods stores, grocery and butcher shops, three rooming houses, four restaurants and eight saloons, as well as a post office, a branch of the Thatcher Brothers Bank and a newspaper named the Special Courier. La Plata also boasted a town marshal and a jail, stagecoach lines to both Ogden and Logan and a red-light district. The newspapers warned of the growing number of “vagabonds, rascals, speculators and other loathsome people” arriving daily, while the miners posted warnings that “chinamen and Dagos are not allowed in town!” New prospects were located every day, and some of them became good producers of high-grade silver and lead. Among the best known were the original La Plata, Sundown, Sunrise, Red Jacket, Yellow Jacket, New State, Lucretta and Mountain Boy mines. Winters were severe at La Plata’s 10,000’ elevation. Temperatures often dropped to 25° F and the snow piled 15’ deep. Few women or children remained during the winter, and the miners had to gather at Dan Ensign’s bar to fortify themselves with antifreeze. When the spring of 1892 arrived an army of prospectors descended upon La Plata, but they found all the best claims already staked. Initially giant boulders of high-grade ore could be found almost anywhere. One 15-ton boulder or ore was melted down and produced 12 tons of bullion! There was so much ore on the surface that for a time La Plata was billed as the world’s only silver placer camp. But miners soon discovered that La Plata’s ore was shallow, with few veins running more than 50’ deep. When the easy pickings were gone, little ore was left. The repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893, dropped the price of silver from $1 an ounce to 25¢. Silver mines all over the west called it the “Crime of ‘93.” Faced with the prospect of digging expensive shafts to mine ore that wasn’t worth anything, the mines at La Plata simply gave up and quit. There were two roads to La Plata, one from Logan via the Little Bear River and the other from Ogden over Wolf Creek. La Plata had three little offshoots. Mineral Point was located high on a pine-covered ridge directly above Porcupine Reservoir. Porcupine, or Baxter City, stood where the reservoir is now located, and Mound City was just across the Weber County line. Several houses and mine buildings still stand at Mineral Point, but not a trace of Porcupine or Mound City remains. La Plata is surrounded by private land today, which has helped preserve a few of its old cabins. There remain strange looking pieces of rusted mine machinery hidden under the aspen trees, and caving shafts dot the canyon bottom and hillsides. The snows of 112 winters, and the fierce winds that howl down from the Monte Cristo Range have taken their toll on the old silver camp, and have left little to show that a booming town once stood there, or that $3 million in galena ore was dug from its mines. Note: Today, La Plata supports many bird species that prefer mountain habitat, along with mule deer, elk, moose and a host of wildflowers. Native trout inhabit the stream. Enjoy this area’s beauty on the Layton, Wild Bird Center’s La Plata Nature/Bird Walk hosted by Jim Poulter, Store Manager and La Plata area landowner. Jim Poulter, Store Manager of the Wild Bird Center will lead a Nature/Bird Walk to La Plata, an old silver mine boom town, that sprung up in the Wasatch Mountains near Monte Cristo in the early 1890’s. Jim was a ranch cowboy who managed the nearby Rafter S ranch for 25 years. He knows these mountains like no one else. During the nature walk, Jim will show how Mother Nature has reclaimed the land for the moose, WOLF CREEK TENNIS LESSONS These Tennis lessons are designed to give youths and adults an opportunity to learn or improve their game of tennis, meet new friends and have a great time. *Lessons will be taught by Melodie Hansen and Mary Beth Ward Group Lessons Session 1 June 23, 25, 27 July 7, 9, 11 Session 2 July 21, 23, 25, 28, 30 Aug. 1 Session 3 Aug. 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22 **2 weeks per session / 6 classes per session / 1 hr. classes 9-10:00 a.m. - Beginner; 10-11:00 a.m. - Intermediate; 11-12:00 p.m. - Advanced Prices: Children or Adults: Member $55.00 Non-member $70.00 **Adult evening classes available upon request. **Private & Semi-private lessons also available by appointment only. For more information or appointment call Melodie Hansen 745-3545. ___________________________________________ Complete and mail payment to: Melodie Hansen, 4436 E. Fuller Dr., Eden, Utah 84310 Name__________________________Age____Date of Birth__________Sex_____ Parent / Guardian Name______________________________ Address___________________________________________ Phone (h)______________(w)_____________ *Check One ____Beginner ____Intermediate ____Advanced Wolf Creek ____Member $55.00 ___Non-Member $70.00___Cash___Check Parent / Guardian Signature__________________________Date______________ elk, mule deer, songbirds, raptors, wild flowers and wild trout. The walk will leave from the Wild Bird Center in Layton at 7:00 a.m., Saturday, May 31. It is free and children of all ages are encouraged. Call the Wild Bird Center at (801) 525-8400 to register for this trip. The Wild Bird Center is located at 1860 North 1000 West, Layton. Exit 335 off I-15, located across from the Barnes Noble BookStore. Information on La Plata from “Some Dreams Die” Utah’s Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures, by George A. Thompson, Dream Garden Press, Salt Lake City 1982. Historical Photo First store in Eden, Utah built and owned and operated by Elisha Wilbur. Left to right: McBride, Neils Peterson, Minnie Farrell, Annie Farrell, Edith Fuller, Unknown, McBride, Colvin & baby, Children unknown. Standing in rear (high): Jessie M. Wilbur, Grant Wilbur small, Roy Wilbur, Orbie (OK) Wilbur large brim hat, and Chambers. Back row near large tree in front of door: Ellen and Elisha Wilbur, father holding Pearl Wilbur (Smalley). Information given to Earl Wilbur (69 yrs) by his Aunt Grace Henderson (90 yrs) Copy taken from her picture. Photo courtesy of Karen Wilbur Hansen of Eden. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS is looking for Ogden Valley and Ogden Canyon historical biographies, stories, and photos to use in its publication. Please mail, email, or call at Shanna 745-2688, or Jeannie at 745-2879 if you have material that you would be willing to share. Subscriptions available for out of area residents at $18.00 annually. Send payment with mailing address to: THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS P O BOX 130 EDEN UT 84310