OnlineUtah.com Logo
History of Winter Quarters, Utah
Taken from the Utah History Encyclopedia (Links Added)
-1-

The valley was called Pleasant Valley; a few early pioneers had built cabins along the valley floor and grazed their cattle there. It was pleasant and peaceful until about 1875 when coal was discovered. When reports of this reached the settlers of Fairview, Sanpete County, a Welsh coal miner led a group of twelve men and one woman up and over the mountain into Carbon County. They built a road, opened a small mine and began hauling coal to the settlements in Sanpete County. Their camp was pitched in Little Gulch where the Wasatch Store (See Castle Gate History)now stands. But Winter came early and they were stranded in the mountains. They almost froze to death. Because of this they named this camp "Winter Quarters". Several groups of miners from Sanpete County soon established claims to these deposits. The coal had to be hauled by horse and wagon over a 9300 foot mountain or down the natural course of the canyon to Soldier Summit and on down the Spanish Fork Canyon also by horse and wagon. By 1877 hundreds of miners came and a town was built. It became Utah's first commercial coal town. Though the need for coal was great there was little profit to be made. Wagons pulled by two and four horse teams came from Springville for the coal. The round trip took four days and sold for $4.00 to $5.00 per ton. There was now a great need to find a better way to market.


Page 1
Google
 
Web OnlineUtah.com
Comments & Questions to OnlineUtah.com

Home | Area Codes | Cities | Climate | Credits | Counties | Dining | Dinosaurs | Disclaimer | Education | Entertainment | Government | Health | History | Hot Springs | Industry | Lakes | Lodging | Maps | Media | Mountains | Museums | Parks | People | Photo Gallery | Quick Facts | Quizzes | Recreation & Sports | Religion | Rivers | Sites | Travel | Weather