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Show Traveling to Utah's dusty towns of ghosts Park Record Thursday, March 19, 1987 Page B9 Uah Part one: A Utah ghost town can tell some of : the best tales in the West. For ' history buffs, photographers or adventurers, Utah's more than 150 ' ghost towns make fascinating ' wandering. There was the time in Mammoth when a local saloon owner bribed miners to smuggle ore out of the mines in return for drinks. When he had stashed enough away, the saloon owner suddenly skipped town and spent his riches unnoticed in Salt Lake City by impersonating a society socie-ty lady. Mammoth is also know for the time several young boys soaped the railroad tracks just before some steep hairpin curves. The engineer threw on the brakes just as everyone bailed out. As the men raced down the hill after the train, they saw it chugging in reverse back up the hill to meet them. During the dead of winter in Alta's mining days, when snow drifted over the houses and people lived in tunnels, tun-nels, the story goes that an unscrupulous real estate salesman stuck stove pipes in the snow and sold them as houses to unsuspecting customers. Long before movie actors ac-tors playing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid roaded Grafton, the little town literally began to float away in a terrible flood. A mother about to give birth was floated on a wagon to higher ground, where Marvelous Flood Tenney was born. Stephen L. Carr, author of "The Historical Guide to Utah .Ghost Towns," has heard many stories from old timers still living in Utah's ghost towns. He has been visiting ghost towns since he was a teenager, spurred by his interest in history and railroading. "I liked to follow old abandoned railroad grades and sometimes these grades ended up in ghost towns," said Carr. Some Utah ghost towns have left hardly a trace, maybe a forlorn cemetery or a few foundations. Others have eerie buildings to explore. ex-plore. A few still have small populations popula-tions who are combing a colorful past with the present. Carr talks about a few of his favorite ghost towns, such as Golf Hill, Ophir, Frisco, Silver Reef and Ajax. i "Gold Hill is my favorite because It has been alive Ihree' different times and still has some good dwellings," dwell-ings," said Carr, adding that Gold Hill is probably Utah's largest and most intact ghost town. Which is probably pro-bably due to its remoteness. It may This article is part one in a three-part series on traveling around the state of Utah. Information Infor-mation was provided by the Utah Travel Council. be reached by traveling west from Utah Lake over the original Pony Express Trail for more than 150 miles on a good gravel road, or south from Wendover 51 miles 7oh pavedgraded pav-edgraded roads. More accessible is Ophir, 19 miles southeast of Tooele. "Ophir is the closest fairly intact ghost town to Salt Lake City," said Carr. "Frisco has many interesting buildings set against a stark desert background," said Carr. Frisco, once known as the wildest town in the Great Basin, is 15 miles west of Milford. Not much is left of Silver Reef, another notorious mining town in its day. Located about 15 miles north of St. George, the original townsite is Sign up for walk with Division of Wildlife Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officers have again begun their spring ritual of riding and walking the state's big game ranges to determine the general condition con-dition of deer and elk herds and rangelands throughout the state. After a mild winter, division officials of-ficials expect to see plenty of healthy animals. Range rides are conducted from March through April statewide. They're the first step in an annual process of determining herd conditions condi-tions and setting harvest recommendations recommen-dations for the fall hunting seasons. As always, the public is invited to ride or walk along. Interested riders provide their own horses and tack. Walkers need a good, well-broken-in pair of hiking boots. For more information, contact any Division of Wildlife Resources office. They're listed in the phone book under state government, Department of Natural Resources. gradually being surrounded by new buildings. The only preserved structure struc-ture is the Wells Fargo building, listed on the National Historic Register. However, an excellent map of the city allows visitors to wander around the townsite and picture pic-ture how things used to be when there was a brewery, racetrack, two dance halls, nine grocery stores, Chinatown, and many saloons. Only a huge hole in the ground marks the spot where Ajax once thrived. In the 1870s, William Ajax's underground department store did more business than any store in Salt Lake City. With $75,000 worth of merchandise, the undergrond emporium em-porium totaled 11,000 square feet. This remote desert outpost in Tooele County not only carried daily ranching ran-ching supplies, but also the finest crystal and fabric and other finery for the ladies. Located 10.7 miles north of Vernon on Hwy . 36, Ajax has one of Utah's most fascinating histories, according to Carr. While most ghost towns in other western states were once mining towns, about half of Utah's ghost towns were originally settled by farmers or ranchers. Utah also has many railroad ghost towns. People may catch a glimmer of the great race to complete the transcontinental transcontinen-tal railroad in 1869 by following the four-wheel-drive road along the original railroad bed (some railroad tressles may be dangerous) and visiting ghost towns such as Kelton and Terrace. Corinne, today a sleepy town of 400, was once a rip-roaring rip-roaring railroad town with 28 saloons and a big opera house where many famous theater stars of the day performed. Since his first visits to Utah ghost towns, Carr has noted many changes. Some ghost towns have deteriorated naturally over time. . Others have been burned or vandalized van-dalized or torn down to make for civilization. Many have fallen victim to relic hunters. Under the Federal Archeological Resources Protection Act and the Utah Antiquities Act, it is against the law to remove things from ghost towns on state and federal land. Some ghost towns on private property may only be viewed view-ed from a distance. Carr encourages ghost town visitors to take pictures and not touch anything, so these remnants of the past will remain for others to enjoy. en-joy. Some other Utah ghost towns to explore include: Argyle- two and a half miles south of Randolph west of Hwy. 16. Orginally settled in 1875. Sego- located north of Thompson in Sego Canyon, was a bustling mining min-ing town in the 1890s. Grafton- site of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," located two miles west of Rockville on Hwy. 9. Originally settled in 1859. One of Utah's most intact ghost towns. Utahn- nine miles north and west of Duchesne on Hwy. 35, settled in the 1905 land rush in eastern Utah. Bullionville - 25 miles north of Vernal, Ver-nal, a major copper-mining town in the 1880s. Ignatio, Rainbow, Dragon and Watson- ghost mining towns scattered scat-tered through the Book Cliffs 15 to 25 miles south of Bonanza. Kelton- 35 miles southwest of Snowville off Hwy. 30 on gravel road, first big railroad town west of Promontory on the Central Pacific Line. Park Valley- 38 miles southwest of Snowville on Hwy. 30. Terrace- about 35 miles south of Park ValleyyonceTO&rirfg town of 1,000 with its ownoChina town. Ophir- about 22 miles south of Tooele off Hwy. 36 and then off Hwy. 73 in Ophir Canyon. Mercur- next canyon south of Ophir, Mercur burned and was rebuilt twice, in 1896 and 1902. Fairfield- 20 miles southwest of Lehi via Hwy. 73. Site of Statecoach Inn State Park, an overnight stop on the historic overland stage and the Pony Express route. Once a boom town in the 1850s. Silver City and Mammoth- near the old mining town of Eureka, which is half ghost town itself. BBB B Hill 1 1 1 llil in iln HiBBM presents Fine Dining in the Country Welcome! You are a treasured guest in our home this evening. In the colorful tradition of Simon J. Schneitter, who founded 100 years ago what is now The Homestead, we offer you friendship, hospitality and great country fare. Tonight's Menu GREAT BEGINNINGS A delightful, iced array of Farm Fresh Vegetables served with Ranch Dressing APPETIZER OF THE EVENING Poached Salmon served with Lemon Dill Mayonnaise SOUPS French Onion Gratinee Cream of Wild Mushroom SIMON'S SALADS Wilted Spinach Salad Tossed Four Lettuce Salad SORBET INTERMEZZO Fresh Cantaloupe ENTREES Choice of Rack of Lamb Provencale Basted in Dijon Mustard and Herbal Bread Crumbs: Baked to Perfection Hazelnut Stuffed CornishHen Glazed with Honey Mustard Sea Bass En Papillote Fresh, prepared in White Wine. Butter and Seasonings, wrapped in Parchment Paper and Baked Fresh Vegetables and Homemade Bread served with Entrees DESSERT OF THE EVENING Strawberries Foster Fresh Strawberries, prepared in Strawberry Butter, flamed tableside Brandy and Strawberry Liqueur, served over French Vanilla Ice Cream SEVENTEEN DOLLARS Tax and gratuity not.incUultd c Open daily for Breakfast. Lunch and Dinner. Call 654-1 102 for Reservations and Information. Scheduled transportation available. HOMESTEAD list lit Wimil V UM I M MH) KiKI P.O. But 99 700 Mouth HomTni Dhim Mn.to I hh 84049 Reservations recommended illl It's EASY to STOP DRINKING L 1 " do it every day before the family gets home.' 1 Hiding how much you drink from the ones you love Is one of the symptoms of alcoholism. And alcoholism will not go away without help. Don't let your life slip away while you hold on to a secret. QoH!W)ttniOS3iy5 cfltttfWMD Call the Helpline today: (801) 272-H.E.L.P. HIGHLAND RIDGE HOSPITAL 4578 Highland Drive Salt Lake City. Utah 84119 "Tempo Timers" Thursday March 1 9th Saturday March 21st 9 to 1 Closed Friday 20 for private party "Souvenir" Wednesday March 25th 9 to 1 Don't Forget! KPCW Air Band Contest Thursday March 26th m Enjoy the largest dance floor in town! RESTAURANT and DISCOTHEQUE At'The-BaSe (formerly the Rusly Nail) Park City Ski Area 649-3500 . . . - . . . . . . a a. t 'M..,m w i-k. A at t . .: n ? 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