| OCR Text |
Show 4 \ 4k 4k . . "f f k " . , . . . _ . . _ . . k " Y " . r , . v - M " MM /M M . , ' / d Y N " / ' MM.Y.1 MMY.1 MMY1 , R7A 11'1 111 ' ' " : AR11 AR11M -M M . - 1 4 \ " \ . "I I Z " 1 , w . wThe The Romance Romance o of 6ilso r rso ilsoniteAn so ite iteAn t tAn An Excl ExclusiveUintah Exclusive usive 1 ' 1Uintah Uintah Basin Industry Indust When Samuel H Gilson Gibon : carried carriedhome carriedhome carriedhome home in 1885 a sack of tarlike sub sub- substance substance substance - stance and filled fllIed the family's familys ' ' potsand pots potsand potsand and pans with the "messy messy " stuff , " as ashis ashis ashis his wife termed it , . , he was foundIng foundingan an industry that is now an aJmost almost almostexclusive aJmostexclusive almostexclusive exclusive Uintah Basin enterprise . . For gilsonite so named un m honor of ofthe ofthe ofthe the man who discovered it is today todayused todayused todayused used by ( manufacturers of high class classvarnishes classvarnishes classvarnishes varnishes , , japans , acid proof paints paints.waterproofing paintswaterproofing . , waterpr waterpidofing ofing an'l anl an'1 an1 aml ' ' mineral rubber rubberIt rubberIt rubberIt It is said to be found in Galada Galacia Galacia.Rumania GalaciaRumania . , Rumania , Mexico and Baku B3kU , , but so sofar sofar sofar far as is known eastern Utah holds holdsthe holdsthe holdsthe the only deposits producing com com- commercial commercial commercial - mercial qualities in ' the f'oe foe United UnitedStates UnitedStates UnitedStates UnitedStatesIn States StatesIn In an area approximately appro"imately approimately " 50miles 50 50miJes 50miles miJes miles square in Uintah and Du- Du Duchesne Duchesne Du-chcsne Du chcsne - - chesne counties , five companies compani companips ps > now noware noware noware are mining commercial comm.erclal commerclal . Gi'sonitp Gisonitp Gilsonitp GilsonitpThe Gi'sonitpThe GPsonitThe ' ? The Uintah Basin Gilsonite Gilsonlte fields aJ\O aJ O are aJObounded arebounded BIVbounded \ bounded as follows : : From a point 10 miles northeast northeastof of Roosevelt Roa.seveIt RoaseveIt . , southeast for 50 mnes miles mnesto milesto milesto to a point near the Utah-CoJorado Utah CoJorado Utah-Colorado Colorado UtahCoJoradostate UtahColoradostate Utah-Coloradostate Utah Coloradostate - state ] line ine ; west about 20 miles 1m11es rtmles ( ; : 50 50miles 50miles 50miles miles northwest to a point a short shortdistance shortdistance shortdistance distance ' southwest 'Southwest of Mvton . thenCe thence20 20 miles back to the point of begin begin- beginning beginning beginning - ning . The largest developments are areeast areeast areeast east of Roosevelt , near My Myton ton , Fort FortDuchesne FortDuchesne FortDuchesne Duchesne and at Watson , , , Utah near nearthe nearthe nearthe the Colorado line Hne . . About the year 1885 it is reported reportedsome reportedsome reportedsome some cattlemen in the vicinity of ofFort ofFort ofFort Fort Duchesne noticed some black blackglisteDing blackglistening blackglistening glisteDing glistening particles in an ant hill hilland hilland hilland and further investigation lead to toflnding tofinding tofinding flnding finding large amounts immediately bencaU bencaLi bem a t . } the grass roots . , This was wasfirst wasfirst wasfirst first supposed to be coal coaJ , , but upon bu uponbu'nmg uponbunmg uponbu .n1ng n1ng ning ' . it gd gave ve off dense clouds of ofsmoke ofsmoke ofsmoke smoke , a characteristic asphalt odor odorand odorand odorand and instead of reducing to ashes , It Itmelted i itmelted t tmelted melted and ran in a stream lile like lileheavy likeheavy likeheavy { heavy molasses . Upon cooling cooli1g ' ) it ap- ap appeared appeared ap appeared - - peared to regain its original oxigtnal form formand formand formand and if anything became even more moregloGsy moreglossy moreglossy gloGsy glossy and black . COInc Comcdent Comc.lent Comclent * . . jent with this event Samuel SamuelH SamuelH H Gilson happened in the vicinity vicinityHe vicinityHe vicinityHe He was a notable prospector andmiming and andm1ning andmining m1ning miming man of the time . Standing Standingsix six feet four inches in Sri height and andwelgiung andweighing andweighing welgiung weighing some 240 pounds and of ofrugged ofrugged ofrugged rugged physique , he.wp.s hewp.s hewps he , . was . a leader In Inevery inevery inevery every community in iii w y vhich Josh ich he bved lived lived-He lived He . - . He had been in California Califonda Callfthiiia dprin during the thegold thegold thegold gold rush , later mitted mi1\ed mi1 ed ml \ ed jn n Nevada Nevadaanj Nevadaand Nevadaand anj and then settled ivf in iii Salt Sttlt tilt : Lake , CIty City.He CityHe . He was present at t 1h ; the , @ laying of the thecornerstone thecornerstone thecornerstone cornerstone of the Mormon templeand temple templeond templeand ond and also the ceremony of driving the thesilver thesilver thesilver silver spike on the completion of the theCentral theCentral theCentral Central and Union Pacific Pacific railroadsWhen railroads railroadsWhen When told of the black substance substancethdt substancethat substancethdt thdt that would not burn , . Mr . Gilson Im- Im ImmedIa immediately im immediately - - medIa mediately tely became very interested init In init 1 it t He carried sacks of it to his home homewhere homewhere homewhere where he conducted various experi experi- experiments experiments experiments - ments making chewing gum ' , paInt paintinsulation , insulation for wires and painted thepiles the thepIles thepiles pIles at Saltair Sa1t81r , , \ Mrs 1\1rs 1 1rs . Gilson reports . Most of hIS experiments proved what whata a useful mineral Gilsonite Gllsonite actually isAn isAn is isAn An article of a few lines linps appeared appearedin In a Salt SaU Lake City paper on Mr Mr.Gilson's Mr.Gilsons MrGilsons . Gilson's Gilsons ' discovery which was noticed noticedin In St Louis by a Mr . C . . D . . Baxter Baxterdealer , , dealer in asphalts and bitumens . . Cor Cor- Cor- Cor - - respondence led to arrangingMr arranging arranging- - Mr Mr.Baxter's Mr.Baxters MrBaxters . Baxter.s Baxters Baxter's ' . visit to the tile to Uintah Basin Basin.The BasinThe . The vein was traced for some three threemIles threemiles threemiles mIles running northwest and south south- southeast southeast southeast - east to the eastward of Fort Du- Du Duing Duing Du-ing Du ing - - ing with none too fnen- fnen frien fneiv'Lly fneivLly fnenUy - ' Uy iy ' Indiansreservation Indians IndiansreservatIon Indiansreservation reservatIon . The country was wa . ; swarm swann- swann swarm- swannlng swarming swarming - ing lng with none too friendly Indians Indiansresenting Indiansresenting Indiansresenting resenting the toe presence of these thesewhIte thesewhite thesewhite whIte prospectors and there was no noway noway noway way in which a title could be securedSeveral securedSeveral secured securedSeveral Several years later a piece of ofground ofground ofground ground called caUed the strip was with wIth- wIthdrawn withdrawn withdrawn - drawn from the reservation and the theSt theSt theSt St Louis Lows Gilsonite company withMr wIth wIth1Ylr with-Mr with Mr - 1Ylr Mr Bax Baxter ter presld president nt and Mr . GIlson GIlsonIn Gilsonin In cnarge cflarge charge , was formed The GIlsonlte Gilsonite GIlsonltewas Gilsonitewas Gilsonitewas was teamed to Price over poor moun moun- mountaIn mountain mountain - tain roads Mr Baxter whi'e whie wflI"e wflIe ' " search search- searchIng searching searching - ing for fo1 : ' a shorter and better road roadhlmseU roadhimself roadhimself hlmseU himself discovered the vein which whichnow whichnow whichnow now bears his name south of My Myton MytonThe MytonThe ton tonThe The Panette Parlette Pariette mine was opened on onthIs onthis onthis thIs vein and reached a depth of 990 990feet 990feet 990feet feet wnen Wl1eT1 wne-i wne i ' - an explosion in 1906 stop stop- stopped stopped stopped - ped work temporarily . Other veins were discovered bu but butphenominal butphenommal t tphenomlnal phenomlnal phenominal finds were reported to toeast toeast toeast east and south of White river rlver on theUncompahgre the theUncompahgre theUncompahgre Uncompahgre reservationMining reservation reservationMining Mining had often been done inveins Invelnc in inveins veins velnc ; as narrow as 18 inches and andsome andsome andsome some veins have reached 18 and one- one onenalf onehalf one-half one half - - nalf half feetThe feet feetThe The Bonanza and Colorado dI- dI dis- dis dItrlcts districts dis districts " - - tricts trlcts became the center of much muchm1nlng muchmining muchmining m1nlng mining activity , , but output was re- re restrIcted restricted re restricted - stricted on account of poor trans tran- tran tranportatlOD trans- trans transportation transportation , - - portation portatlOD facilities faclbties To overcome thIS thISthe thisthe thisthe the Uintah Ulntah Railway was constructedfrom constructed constructedfrom constructedfrom from Mack , Colorado to Dragon and andthe andthe andthe the Dragon Dragan vein was developed on onan onan onan an extensive scale . . Long before , , thIS thisthe . , , the vein at Fort Duchesne had pass pass- passed passed passed - ed into the toe hands of the Barber As- As Asphalt Asphalt As Asphalt - phalt company of Philadelphia and andIt andit andit It was this company which construct construct- constructed constructed constructed - ed the Uintah Ulntah railway However Howevermuch Howevermuch Howevermuch much of the Gilsonite Gilsonlte mined is still stillhauled stillhauled stillhauled hauled to railroad points in largetrucks large largetrucks largetrucks trucks |
