Show Lone Ranger Fictional Fiction Silver Bullets Real As Western fans have long known the silver bullet Is the trademark of the Lone Ranger But while the masked rider may have been fictional not so his famed tamed ammunition i it t t LONG BEFORE the imaginary Imaginary imaginary f nary nary Lone Ranger left his mark markon on the young radio audiences of the land the silver sliver bullet had become a legend attached to early settlers in southern Utah Today a huge stone monument monument monument ment stands near the site of the Lincoln Mine Utah's first leadmine lead leadmine leadmine mine which produced an ore with a high silver content The Theore Theore Theore ore assayed as high as one-half one ounce of gold to the ton 19 to 30 ounces of silver and 38 per percent percent percent cent lead DURING THE decades be between between between be- be tween 1896 1858 the Minersville Miners Miners- ville settlers were believed Inthe in inthe inthe the east to be fighting Indians with silver bullets molded from the lead taken from the mine The community's historical records show that two young girls including the daughter of ofa ofa ofa a hotel owner who served simultaneously si simultaneously simultaneously si- si as Minersville's postmaster and Mormon bishop spent long days helping the settlers settlers settlers set set- to mold the bullets DURING THE early days of the mining settlement five separate separate separate sep sep- arate bands of Indians Including Including including ing Utes and occupied the general area Previous tribal tribal trib trib- al land alignments were upset by the inflow of settlers a situation sit situation sit sit- which continually kept the community's situation ious But the miners had a guns and butter policy even in those days and the lead bullion not used as ammunition became a medium of exchange during the first ten years of life In Miners Miners- ville IN rn THE EARLY days of the r i mine ore was hauled in wagons to to the smelters in Salt Lake City except for a small amount smelted for local use in Ina a crude stone furnace on the Beaver River near Minersville The Lincoln Mine gained In importance in 1880 when the Utah Central Railway ran its I tracks into the area and began hauling greater quantities of ore to the Salt Lake City smelters THE MINE continued operation operation opera opera- tion until 1896 when the ore at greater depths turned to sulphides sulphides sulphides sul sul- and carried little value An atte attempt by a aDen Denver ver group to revive the mine in 1947 was abandoned |