This month we will travel to Silver City, Utah, located just a few miles down the road from last month’s featured ghost town of Eureka, Utah.
I chose Silver City for this month’s entry not because of extensive remains or a historical event that occurred. I chose it because November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. Also, I chose to share my visit to Silver City to remind myself, and hopefully others, of all the things we have to be thankful for.
As an RVer you might be finding it difficult to count your blessings this November. Fuel prices are soaring, keeping many from hitting the road, especially long cross-country trips. Interest rates are the highest they have been in years, preventing many from being able to afford the payments on their dream RV. Supply chain issues continue to slow RV repairs, at even the most reputable RV repair facilities. Throw in some campground crowding, possible difficulties in making reservations, along with rising campground rates and a host of other discouragement and you might even be tempted to skip Thanksgiving this year.
When life gets me down, I just think back to my visit to Silver City and it puts everything back into perspective. I will get to why Silver City reminds me to be thankful in a minute, but first a quick bit of history.
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Silver City history
Just like Eureka, which we visited last month, Silver City was once a thriving mining town, part of the rich Tintic Mining District. The first silver mine (an old Native American mine) was discovered in 1869 with other mines following shortly after. Silver City slowly grew from a small collection of tents to a comprehensive city containing a saloon, blacksmith shop, claims recorder and assay office, a telegraph office, stagecoach line, post office, and eventually various hotels, stores, and restaurants. Both the Salt Lake & Western Railroad as well as the Tintic Range Railroad ran lines into town establishing depots as things boomed.
At the peak of mining, approximately 800 people called Silver City home. The boom lasted until 1890 when most of the mines encountered water as they bored deeper into the earth and began to flood. Even the richest mines were unable to afford the cost of keeping the mines pumped out and were forced to close. When the mines closed the population began to go elsewhere. A devastating fire in 1902 destroyed much of Silver City, driving more of the remaining citizens away.
Revival
Just as Silver City was about to become another deserted mining town, Jesse Knight of nearby Knightsville, Utah, established the Utah Ore Sampling Company and the Tintic smelter, building a large mill. To operate the mill, Knight built a power plant, 100 new houses for workers and brought another railroad into town. By 1908 the population reached a record of 1,500 hardy souls. In 1915 the mill became unprofitable and closed, spelling the final chapter for Silver City. A few folks hung around through the 1930s, until becoming a ghost town in the ’40s.
Our visit – Heartbreak and thanksgiving
Prior to our visit, I knew little remained of Silver City other than the foundations of Knight’s mill and the cemetery. What brought me to the site was the extensive number of old mines in the area. My goal was to do a little mine exploring and maybe find some nice ore samples in the process. Unfortunately, the mines offered little to explore and not much in the way of ore samples either. Hoping to salvage our visit and find something of interest, I stopped by the cemetery.
Even when there are few ruins of a once bustling town to tell of the past, I find the residents of the cemetery often have a story worth sharing. In this case it, was the mother of the Steele family and her story of heartbreak. As I walked among the gravestones, I came across a series of four stones with the last name of Steele.
Studying the stones revealed each was the grave of a baby, the oldest (Albert) surviving just 14 days, his sister Lily buried next to him lived a scant 8 days. The other two Steele graves just listed “Baby Girl”. The years of the four graves were as follows: Baby Girl Steele 1916, Baby Girl Steele 1917, Lily Steele 1919 and Albert Steele 1920. Their mother suffered all of this while living in a town that had just lost its last paying employer and was on its way to becoming a ghost town.
What I’m thankful for
Here I was standing at the foot of these baby’s graves, disappointed at not finding the mine ruins and ore samples I had hoped for. These things were insignificant compared to what this woman went through. As I pondered the moment, my heart broke for the poor mother, and I was reminded of everything I have to be thankful for. I have two healthy adult children with good jobs, homes, spouses, and healthy children of their own. There are seven young children in our clan that call me “Papa” (Grandpa). I have a loving wife that keeps me organized and willingly accompanies me to forlorn, forgotten and out of the way places. I can visit unique places like Silver City while enjoying the comforts of home in my RV … and the list goes on.
Closing
While writing this article and examining the hardships of the Steele family, I performed an online search and discovered the following. The mother’s name was Vilate Alvira Martyn and lived to be 90 years old, passing away in 1970. Sadly, she lost at least one other baby, maybe two, in the same succession of the other four. Losing a son in 1915 (see death certificate below) and possibly another in 1917, all told she lost 5, possibly 6 children from 1915 to 1920. Her husband, Marcus Freeman Steele, Sr., died in 1945 of “Athero – Sclerosis” – as listed on his death certificate. His occupation was listed as “miner”, which was no surprise. Thankfully, Mrs. Steele had surviving children prior to the string of 1915 – 1920 deaths, and bore two children that survived into adulthood.
I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. If you don’t feel very thankful this year, just think about what it must have been like to be Vilate in the years 1915 – 1920 and count your blessings.
Silver City – Getting there:
The townsite, mill ruins and cemetery are all located just off the east side of the highway southwest of Eureka, Utah.
- Downtown Silver City: N39° 54.585 W112° 07.781 – many foundations still exist
- Mill Ruins: N39° 55.026 W112° 08.436
- Cemetery: N39° 54.129 W112° 08.032
Camping:
See last month’s entry for Eureka.
##RVT1079
Visiting cemeteries can reveal a lot of history in the area. I found that the Tombstone City Cemetery which is free to visit https://www.tombstonetraveltips.com/tombstone-cemetery.html was more interesting than the Iconic Tombstone Boothill Cemetery which charged a fee. We give our respect to those that rest eternally there.
For years I have visited old mine sites especially in Colorado and New Mexico. It is very spooky to make even very short entry to old mines with their crumbling timbers and creepy tunnels. But in doing so I have a nice collection of low grade precious metals, crystals and rocks. Even tried panning in remote mountain stream valleys whose cliff sides were dotted with ancient mine shafts and tailing piles. All I got there were some pretty agates and very numb cold hands. Oh to be young and adventurous again! Add to that spending nights above timber line just my bed roll shivering in the clear cold night but enchanted with night sky views far from city lights. Boiling stream water for dehydrated food and iodine pills in my canteen water. I was lean and tough back then. Now my joints are stiff and my back aches never go away! Getting over 80 ain’t for sissies. 🙂
When exploring cemeteries keep an eye out for all those who died in 1918 due to the Spanish Flu epidemic.
I’ve seen similar family stories in my genealogy work. We forget how much modern medicine has improved our lives from the days of our grandparents and great-grandparents. A truly sad story is found in my home town cemetery. Several children from the same family died just days apart due to a typhoid outbreak.
I, too, will wander in old cemeteries. The stories they tell are sad, to inspiring. It is rarely ever crowded. All in all, a great place to reflect on my current problems. I learned about cemeteries when I read Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. Easy reading while camping
I enjoyed your story very much. One of my hobbies is genealogy research and the story reminded me of one of my relatives. Josephine (Josie) Emily Plummer married Stephen Farish Roberts. As in your story, Josie gave birth to Carl Hugh Roberts on 9/11/1896 and he died on 2/11/1899. She gave birth again on 9/29/1898 and the infant died on the same day. She then gave birth to Thelma Roberts on 10/29/1899 and Thelma died on 10/4/1900. While her first- and last-born children lived to adulthood, Josie lost three children between October 1898 and October 1900. Josie died eight years later in 1908 at the age of 36. The more we study the past, the more we can find reasons to be thankful!