Tintic Mining District, East Tintic Mountains, Utah, USAi

Regional Level Types
Tintic Mining District	Mining District
East Tintic Mountains	Mountain Range
Utah	State
USA	Country

The district is well known throughout the world for its substantial production values of lead, silver, gold, copper, and zinc. This production came mainly from an estimated 120 large and small mines. From 1869 to 1987, the district produced 19.1 million tons of ore containing 2.77 million ounces of gold, 272 million ounces of silver, 22.8 billion pounds of lead, 450 million pounds of zinc, and 254 million pounds of copper. With these totals, the Tintic mining district is the second leading non-ferrous metal producer in the state behind the Bingham mining district. All recent production has been from the North Lily mine dump and the Trixie and Burgin mines, in the eastern part of the district.

The district is divided into two areas: (1) the Main Tintic in Juab and Utah Counties, which includes the area around the towns of Eureka, Mammoth, and former town site of Silver City; and (2) the East Tintic, also in Juab and Utah Counties, which includes the area around the former town sites of Dividend and Homansville.

The Tintic mining district was discovered in 1869 by George Rust while returning from a prospecting adventure in the nearby Sheeprock Mountains. Within a few months, many claims had been staked in the vicinity of his initial discovery. The following year, the first ores from these properties were mined and freighted to reduction facilities in Reno, Nevada and Baltimore, Maryland. The extension of the Utah Southern Railroad reached the area in 1878 and production increased dramatically. Mills and small smelter furnaces were constructed on or near the mine sites to process ore to reduce transportation costs.

Several rich silver discoveries in the 1880s increased the importance of the Main Tintic district, making it one of the primary producers of silver in the country at the time. In 1882, John Beck found a concealed ore body in the Eureka Gulch area by sinking the Bullion Beck shaft and postulated that the ore body would continue to the south. This ore zone became known as the Gemini ore zone. In 1896, Jesse Knight found perhaps one of the richest ore shoots in the district when he drove an adit 450 feet into limestone and encountered an extensive linear ore body rich in silver, which developed into the Godiva ore zone. In 1905, Knight also discovered the massive Iron Blossom ore zone, a horizontal pipe-like deposit, which was mined continuously for up to 5200 feet in length. In 1909, Walter Fitch, Sr. and J.R. Finley discovered what was to be the Chief Consolidated mine after sinking a shaft 1400 feet and encountering rich ore. It was soon realized that the rich ore zone extended northward beneath the town site of Eureka. Consequently, all of the mineral rights for each building lot in the town had to be acquired before mining could continue. It was well worth the investment, because the mine became the most productive in the Main Tintic district, grossing over $50 million in its lifetime. Most of the mineral production came from ore rich in silver, lead, and zinc. With the closure of the Chief Consolidated mine in 1957, production ceased in the Main Tintic district.

Ore was first discovered in the East Tintic district in 1899 near the Eureka Lily shaft, but production was limited. Mining was difficult due to the hundreds of feet of volcanic rocks that cover the region. Only through extensive drilling and drifting were the ore deposits uncovered. In 1916, rich ore bodies were discovered at the Tintic Standard mine. Soon after the discovery, the Tintic Standard mine became one of the most productive silver mines in the world. In 1924, production was estimated at 4.20 million ounces of silver. The Tintic Standard mine closed in 1949 and the district remained dormant for almost a decade. In 1958, rich lead-zinc ore was discovered by the Bear Creek Mining Co., an exploration company of Kennecott Copper Corporation, and the Burgin mine was established in 1963 to mine this new discovery. The Trixie ore body was also discovered around this time and the Trixie mine began production in 1969.