Show 6 fabulously rich famous happy jack mine worked by five men A healthy new industry has been born bringing fabulous wealth to a few and new opportunities to many persons people all over the nation are watching and reading with avid interest any information about the frenzied activities taking place on the colorado plateau they are seeking information about this vast region and its rich resources be cause this is the cradle of a new age the ATOMIC AGE people are asking the old time honored quest ions of who what why and how hoping to find just what all this eager enterprise means to them and their accustomed way of life an attempt to satisfy this hunger for information is being made by I 1 the green river journal A depre tentative senta tive is being sent out into the field and into the mines with the object not only of publicising publicizing public ising the various mines but as a means of acquainting the reading public with many of the problems of mining methods of operation and trans por tation expenses living conditions of the miners and their families etc we hope to introduce to the public the men and women who are actual ly enga engaged ged in some phase of the new industry seeking the precious ore taking it from the earth or groces siong it we want to give you the feeling of meeting and seeing the miners muckers duckers drillers ore car ners and of visiting their camps in the wi wilds ids near their work on a recent swing through south eastern utah a number of small and large mines were observed in opera tion mines owner by four corners uranium corp near green river utah have already been described in previous articles of this series today s spotlight will be on the workers and actual operations at the famous happy jack mine in white canyon As the crow flies the happy jack is about 80 miles south of green river but by read it is more like miles this is by the short route from green river though by no means the quickest this road is on the west side of the colorado river and the only town passed on the way is tiny hanksville Hanks ville pop which which is not quite half way though it is 55 miles from green river one passes through a lonely deso late country of such rugged and wild terrain that it is not advisable for persons unfamiliar with the desert to make the trip without a guide nor should one atempa to go during the rainy ramy season for instance as the colorado river is approached the road enters a deep twisting cannon during the miles it crosses and re crosses the same dry wash 60 times I 1 to be caught in a dry wash anywhere during a flash flood ud ii ii is not healthy the happy jack mine like so many other uranium mines is half way up a sheer vertical canyon wall visible lust just under the formation are the six drifts or entrances to the happy jack at present ore is being taken from only two of the drifts mining at the happy jack is ac complis hed by the old method of shuttle cars on tracks the shuttle car carries a one and one half ton load of ore from the mucking machine in the mine to the loading l platform where it t is dumped into a large holding bin the ore trucks back up under the bin and when it is opened several tons of ore pours into the truck in a matter of minutes this fabulously rich mine is re regu we u barly worked by only five men the foreman waren bronson of bland ing is the son of one of the owners of the happy jack ace holden of monticello is the driller and also a brother in law to the foreman lawrence cooper brother to one of the owners drives the ore truck which carries the ore from the mine to the sampling plant or ore buying station a mile from the mine mr cooper coopers s family lives in salt lake city but he stays in a modern trail er at the mine except on his days off when he can go home reed bailey who lives a the tiny settlement of white canyon about 25 miles away is the trammer or shuttle car operator the mucking machine operator is jack casey who is the only employee who actu ally lives at the mine with his family the casey s comfortable little home is perched on a ledge half way up the mountainside and they enjoy a breathtaking view of the green valley which fans out at the end of the canyon walls our friend jack wd V AP abw 0 44 A k al 41 M yv IN 1 y W 1 k AW rf r MLA I 1 green R river ive r journal ph photo to here is a view of the happy jack mine taken from the opposite canyon wall the mine is situated at the very beginning of the canyon the mining operations cling to narrow ledges half way up the 0 mountain mountains s steep side and have been blasted out of solid rock they are just below the for mation which is where the is found in this area ero X aw A a a 1 IN 9 green river journal photo this is the wonderful view nf the valley as it is seen from jack casey s aag eagle ae nest home near the happy jack mine the road snaking out from the canyon leads from the mine to the sampling plant or ore buying station which is seen at the end of the road in the center of the picture the sampling plant is operated by the american smelting and refining co we were told ore being mined in this vicinity is being stockpiled there A number of men are employed at the buying station of which ted bronson nephew of one of the happy jack owners is the manager the workers at the stockpile are housed nearby in modern deluxe trailers which have running water and electric power showed us the inspiring view while his charming wife jean served cof fee and cake and their little year old son bobby played unconcernedly in his crib we decided then that while living at the end of nowhere might be lonely and certainly has other drawbacks it also has its corn com sensation pensa tion airee and pleasures it can be a good life the story of other mines in this area will be told next week |