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This was a old trip from last year, but I am trying to catch up on stuff, and my goal to document where our family travels and what we see.
We recently took a trip to Joy, Utah. Joy is now nothing more than a few small hardly visible stone foundations, a old grave site and many mine shafts and audits. At one time Joy was a town started by Harry Joy and Charles Howard, two mining engineers from Detroit, Michigan came in 1872. Harry Joy later founded the Packard Motor Company. Manganese was mostly mined along with copper and some silver and gold. One of the Peaks near Joy called Lady Laird Peak southeast of the town site, is known according to local folklore for receiving its name from a well-known lady of dubious reputation who would frequent the mine camps.
We found many of the mine site lower on the mountain sides to still be somewhat structurally standing. The Black Boy mine site was quickly deteriorating. Use caution around this site. It seems through the years of reclamation and re opening the mines for another chance at finding the treasures inside there are many areas of "Prospecting". One area very near the Black Boy Mine I noticed a hole in the ground about 12 inches in diameter, as I approached it became clear that this was the top of a mine shaft. Some poor sheep had been standing on this spot when the ground below its feet gave way and hopefully it was faster than gravity and made it safely away. From a safe distance away with some help from the flashlights we could see what appeared to be a dome shaped roof, the center of which was only maybe 12 inches thick, the walls of the shaft 6-8 feet apart. The shaft continued down into the darkness farther than we could see. I am not sure if the shaft was buried to close it off? (I don't think so because there was wood and framing still intact in the shaft) or if the miners had been digging up to the surface only to stop 12 inches from the surface, and leaving a death trap to some unsuspecting person or animal. So walk lightly when free exploring this area, the spot seemed to be in what was left of a bull dozzer bath some years ago. After this scary sight we started to walk on paths already traveled and somewhat like a team of climbers crossing a avalanche path in the mountains, one at a time to lessen the exposure.
There where some very interesting "prospecting" and "shafts" and "audits" in this area that you could explore for weeks, possibly months given that they took years and decades to dig. One "prospect" even contained a closet complete with a door, possibly used for cold storage, or maybe just blasting supplies?
At this point we had to turn back due to low gas in the jeep. There where still a few mines visible up the mountain sides from the Black Boy mine. One can speculate as to why this mine was named as such, not due to some racial persuasion, but due to the Black rock and soil that was pulled from the mine and can be seen in the "tailing" piles you drive past to access the main shaft area. One can only imagine the miners who emerged from the shaft after a day of work covered in the dust of this dirt, and how scarce a good bath would have been, you would have indeed been a "black boy".
This area, and Juab county was a very heavily mined area in the state of Utah. The area boasts a amazing mix of landscapes. From 12,000 foot tall peaks to the north west near Gold Hill, and Trout Creek. To the flat arid deserts, hot springs, old volcanoes, springs, geode beds, and so much more. Given all this I am sure we will have many more trips to the area to explore the legends and history of those who once braved the deserts will and made a living from it.
We recently took a trip to Joy, Utah. Joy is now nothing more than a few small hardly visible stone foundations, a old grave site and many mine shafts and audits. At one time Joy was a town started by Harry Joy and Charles Howard, two mining engineers from Detroit, Michigan came in 1872. Harry Joy later founded the Packard Motor Company. Manganese was mostly mined along with copper and some silver and gold. One of the Peaks near Joy called Lady Laird Peak southeast of the town site, is known according to local folklore for receiving its name from a well-known lady of dubious reputation who would frequent the mine camps.
We found many of the mine site lower on the mountain sides to still be somewhat structurally standing. The Black Boy mine site was quickly deteriorating. Use caution around this site. It seems through the years of reclamation and re opening the mines for another chance at finding the treasures inside there are many areas of "Prospecting". One area very near the Black Boy Mine I noticed a hole in the ground about 12 inches in diameter, as I approached it became clear that this was the top of a mine shaft. Some poor sheep had been standing on this spot when the ground below its feet gave way and hopefully it was faster than gravity and made it safely away. From a safe distance away with some help from the flashlights we could see what appeared to be a dome shaped roof, the center of which was only maybe 12 inches thick, the walls of the shaft 6-8 feet apart. The shaft continued down into the darkness farther than we could see. I am not sure if the shaft was buried to close it off? (I don't think so because there was wood and framing still intact in the shaft) or if the miners had been digging up to the surface only to stop 12 inches from the surface, and leaving a death trap to some unsuspecting person or animal. So walk lightly when free exploring this area, the spot seemed to be in what was left of a bull dozzer bath some years ago. After this scary sight we started to walk on paths already traveled and somewhat like a team of climbers crossing a avalanche path in the mountains, one at a time to lessen the exposure.
There where some very interesting "prospecting" and "shafts" and "audits" in this area that you could explore for weeks, possibly months given that they took years and decades to dig. One "prospect" even contained a closet complete with a door, possibly used for cold storage, or maybe just blasting supplies?
At this point we had to turn back due to low gas in the jeep. There where still a few mines visible up the mountain sides from the Black Boy mine. One can speculate as to why this mine was named as such, not due to some racial persuasion, but due to the Black rock and soil that was pulled from the mine and can be seen in the "tailing" piles you drive past to access the main shaft area. One can only imagine the miners who emerged from the shaft after a day of work covered in the dust of this dirt, and how scarce a good bath would have been, you would have indeed been a "black boy".
This area, and Juab county was a very heavily mined area in the state of Utah. The area boasts a amazing mix of landscapes. From 12,000 foot tall peaks to the north west near Gold Hill, and Trout Creek. To the flat arid deserts, hot springs, old volcanoes, springs, geode beds, and so much more. Given all this I am sure we will have many more trips to the area to explore the legends and history of those who once braved the deserts will and made a living from it.
Will make it a point to post pics this weekend.. oh and I still need to post area 52 as well..
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