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PIONEER RECALLS DISCOVERY DISCOVERYOF OF GILSONITE HERE IN 1885 18 S I The following letter Wb was Wbreceived wasreceived wasreceived * received last week by WbI Ma MaVOl Mavor Mavor I VOl vor ' B H II Stringham from fromIsaac fromIsaac fromIsaac Isaac M Jones formerly of ofMaeser ofMaeser ofMaeser Maeser and now of fromI Fair Fairview Fairview Fairview I view Utah Mayor String Stringham Stringham Stringham ham gave me permission to topublish topublish topublish publish the letter I have haveknown haveknown haveknown known Mr Jones since m mearly my myearly myearly early childhood and I think thinkthere thin thinthere thinkthere there is not a man in the theUintah theUintah theUintah Uintah Basin more reliable reliablein in his statements This . , his hiscontribution hiscontribution hiscontribution contribution to the hlstori histori hlstorical historical historical cal data of our section adds addsa a richness and wealth to IDYweakness myweakness my IDY - weakness in historical research re- re - research re research - search Where we conflict conflicton on dates of oj incidents I Ihumbly Ihumbly Ihumbly humbly yield to his better betterjudgm.nts betterjudgments betterjudgments betterjudgmentsA judgm.nts judgmnts judgments judgm.ntsA judgmentsA ( , . A write-up write up - - on the pioneer pioneerroad pioneerroad pioneerroad road down the twill twin/ twin twinand twi . / and to tothe tothe tothe the Uintah river is coming comingsoon comingsoon comingsoon comingsoonJ soon soonJ soonJ J Wm Wet WorkmaDI Workman WorkmaD WorkmanJuly I I July 18 1046 1946 1946Fairview 1946Fairview Fairview Utah UtahMr UtahMr , Mr B H Stringham StringhamVernal StringhamVenal StringhamVernal Vernal Venal UtahIi UtahIr Utah UtahI StringhamI I Ir Irsee I see there is lots being writ written written written Ii Iisee ten concerning the Gilsonite of ofUintah ofUintah ofUintah Uintah I am telllnjg telUnf telling ' you when whenIt whenit it Whenjit was discovered first and Whenj how howit howit howit it got its nameRobert nameRobert name nameRobert Robert Bodily was road80m roadsom road 80m som 80mmissioner sommissioner sommissloner missioner in 1885 He put in the thefirst thefirst thefirst first road through the Twistsand Twistsand Twists Twistsput and over to the Ulntah Uintah river Hlit Ha Hlitput Haput put the first bridge acrow across acro . the theriver theriver theriver river I helped him It was the theyear theyear theyear year before tho the . aoldlers .oldlers oldlers soldiers moved movedover movedover movedover over there thero While Whlle there I die di dl di"overed . -"overed "overed overed - . heardi " 'overed overed ' f d th the first gilsonite heardlof heardof heard heardof i l"OV lOV lof of You can find it about one onemile onemile mile niile southeast of the bridge in inla ina Ina a little ravine coming In towards to towards towards la wards the bridge It was un covered by a little stream of ofwat@r ofwater water wat@r @ I broke several pieces off of offand ofand offand and took it to camp thinking 1t it 1twas itwas itwas was coal We tried it on the fire fireand fireand and it melted before it wouldburn would wouldburn wouldburn wouldburnHeat burn burnHeat Heat Hatch and George Basercame Baser Basercame Basercame came along and took some of itto it itto itto to Heber ' We we couldn't couldnt ' name itSam it itSam itSam Sam Gllson Gilson came along and took tooksome tooksome tooksome some of it to Salt Lake to get it itassayed itassayed Itassayed assayed They could not name nameit nameit it ! : , so they called It Oilsonite Gilsonite OilsoniteTnla GilsoniteThis GilsoniteThis Tnla This was in In April . , 10QOIn 1805In 18Q5 10QO 1805 18Q5In In 1881 1001 I w wag was gathering stock stockfrom stockfrom stockfrom from Whiterlver Whlterl"er Whlterler Whlteriver " for ( or Hatch and andCapt andCapt andCapt Capt . . Dodds and Dnd found where wherethe Wherethe wherethe the river crossed the veln--or veln or vein--or vein velnorthe veinorthe vein- vein veinorthe - - - - orthe the vein crossed the river Theriver The Theriver Theriver river makes quite a bend and ex exposes exposes exposes poses the vein which runs from fromWhite fromWhiterocks fromWhiterocks White Whiterocks rocks to Whiteriver Whlterlver There Theremay Theremay Theremay may be some good deposits depositsfQund depositsfound l1nd fQund ( < ! over near Uintah river riverCharley riverCharley riverCHarley Charley Neal dug a lot over In Inthere inthere inthere there thereThe The asphaltum vein runsthrough runsthrough runs through the Little Mountain and andcrops andcrops andcrops crops out on the other side I Ihelped Ihelped Ihelped helped your father with the first first.assessments firstassessments firstassessments for Mr Walley on onthe onthe onthe the deposits When It is fully fuUy de de- do- do doveloped developed - - veloped you will wUl find it and the thegilsonite thegilsonite thegilsonite gilsonite are related and they theywill theywill theywill will run together and may con conneet connect connect neet nect with the oi oil l , MAYBE MAYBEI I was with Feat Heat eat Hatch andCapt and andCapt andCapt Capt Dodds when they set fire fireto fireto fireto to that great coal vein north ofWhite of ofWhite ofWhite White River It burned for 20 20years 20years 20years helpedI years maybe long longer r I helpedtake helped helpedI I take the first wagon to the Hatch Hatchranch Hatchranch Hatchranch ranch on Blue Mountain fromthe from fromthe fromthe the tndlan ndian fndian ( Department ranch on onGreen onGreen onGreen Green river I gathered stock stockIfrom stockfrom stockfrom Ifrom from Green river to White rl"er rler river rl"erand riverand riverand " and rode all over that range for fornearly fornearly fornearly nearly six months helped brand brand13,000 brand13000 13,000 13000 101000 , , head and round up 800 . head of beef beet to ship to tp benver beaver benverWell beaverWell benverWell Well Bry , when I used used benverI tos towith lo to s sijy sijywith sidywith I with you and nnd Phil I did npt thlr th thnksuch ( k ksuch such things would happen etappera ; 'Ihelped Ihelped ' II I Ihelped helped IIhelped your father plant plain bafPel1 ' the 'the blg blgvineyard bigvineyard vineyard , . broke up lota lots ota of lond land londand landand landand biglvineyard and built lots of fenceI fence bigl I II I put the first coal on the themarket themarket themarket market lived in Maeser from oManti tjMantl iyltItoManti 1881 1801 untl1 untll until , . . 1928 11020 828 , thenlw th then n : i w went iyltIto . tj tjW W ( Mantl Manti to 00 do templ6 wmpl temple work wort worl ( . l 1 I am rim . amnow , daughterRosaln dat1ghternosaHn datighterIlosalln now IIvln living " with my dat1ghter datighter nosaHn Ilosalln whereI ( close to the place plgcq pl cQ wh whet ( ; , I goI appiA.I appiAI W was s born nearly 84 year years yeari ' $ . * go ( { f " , . I expect to celebrpte celebrp < " to ' my 84'tb 84tb 84th 84'tbbl 84thbi ' " bl bi thdaJl thday ' on August . , 3 . , Well Well Bry , good success to you you.ISSAC youISSAC . . ISSAC M . , JONES ONPS |