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Show The History of MiiKi at Park City X rrO- VuJ Ceneral P. E. Connor, first eommander at Fort Doua'as, who became known i "The Father of Utah Mining", duo to his early activities In Utah. (Editur'c Not: Thla U Ik third of Mi-it of fUht artkUa Mftrdlnc Ik hli-(17 hli-(17 f Park Cllr. pioiMtr Utah nlninf tomaanU-r.) Systematic prospecting (or ore in Utah began with the arrival of General P. K. Connor and his California Cali-fornia volunteers at what is now Fort Douglas in 1862. Imbued with the spirit of '49 as they were, these volunteers spent their peaceful periods of Inactivity scowerlng the mountains of Utah. As a result General Connor became known as "Father of Utah Mining." Their first attention was directed to the West Mountains probably through the representations of George B. Ogllvle, an apostate Mormon, eugaged In farming. Ogllvle Ogll-vle had reported to General Connor his discovery of mineral In the early fall of 1863 In Bingham canyon. An exploring expedition under the command com-mand of Captain Heltz was the first to discover angeutlferous galena in Bingham canyon, and on September 17, lSC;t. 0,'ilvie ; nd others formally took up (here the first mining location iu Utah, known as the West Jordan claim. In the following I)remh?r the first mining district Id the territory was formed and named the Wet Mountain district. dis-trict. Among the first to prospect the Park City area was Rector Steen, who alihoiiRh not a soldier prospector, prospec-tor, Worked with them, and who was later to discover the Ontario mine. Probably Incited by the discoveries dis-coveries at West Mountain he spent the winter of 1SG3-6I prospecting through the hills of Bingham and tlia two Cottonwood cunyons. In the spring of 18i4 he gave up his search temporarily and went to Montana and Wyoming. The soldiers sol-diers were not discouraged by the experiences of Steen and continued to prospect south of Bingham. With no rallroucU to serve the territory at that time it became necessity to undertake domestic reduction, or smelting. The first attempts at smelting were in ado in the summer of 1864 when General Connor and others erected near the present town of Stockton a furnace of the reverbnratory pattern. This, the first smelter in Utah, was not successful, an It was not suited to the general ores at h:ind. The failure of this early inielilng venture and others th.-.t followed did not deter the prospectors. It became apparent, however, that transportation was necessary to the d-volopment of this remote area and actual mining had to await the completion of the Union Pacific which was organized In 1KC2. (The fourth article In this serle.i will ap-lur ap-lur In these columns soon.) |