RonnieAdventure #0110 - Frisco Ghost Town - Beaver County, Utah

In September of 1875 two prospectors discovered a rich outcropping of silver in the San Francisco Mining District of Utah and immediately filed a claim. However, fearing that the silver deposit was not very large, the prospectors decided to sell the claim rather than work it themselves. Bad decision!

In 1879 the United States Annual Mining Review and Stock Ledger stated that the Silver Horn Mine, the claim that the two prospectors discovered and then sold, was “the richest silver mine in the world now being worked.” Before the mine closed, it produced over $20.2 million in silver.

Soon after mining started at the Silver Horn, the town of Frisco was established nearby and was named after the mountain range where the mine was located. Other mines were soon opened in the nearby area and by 1877 Frisco contained a smelter that included five beehive charcoal kilns, a post office, commercial center, and the terminus of the Utah Southern Railroad, which had been extended from Milford located 15 miles to the east.

Because there was no source of water in Frisco, the miners said that it was cheaper to drink whiskey than water. Consequently there were soon 23 saloons in town along with various gambling dens and brothels. Frisco soon gained the reputation as the most lawless of any mining camp in the San Francisco Mining District. One writer described Frisco as “Dodge City, Tombstone, Sodom and Gomorrah all rolled into one.” Murders were so frequent that the town officials contracted to have a wagon pick up the dead bodies each morning and deliver them to boot hill.

Eventually a lawman from Nevada was hired to clean up the town. When the lawman arrived in Frisco, the town council told him that they would build him a new jail to house prisoners, but he told them that wouldn’t be necessary because he only gave the lawless element two options – get out of town or get shot. He reportedly shot six people the first night and then had no other problems.

Unlike most ghost towns in the west, the end to Frisco came suddenly. On the morning of February 12, 1885, the day shift was told not to go into the mine because there were some small tremors shaking the ground. Soon after the night shift exited the mine, the entire mine collapsed. The collapse was so great that tremors could be felt in Milford 15 miles away. Fortunately, no one was killed, but the mine closed down after the cave-in and most people moved away.

Although the town stayed open to provide services to other mines in the area, by the 1912 the number of business decreased from about 150 to 12, and by the 1920s Frisco was a ghost town. Over the years there has been various sporadic small-scale mining activities at the site, but nothing like the 6,000 workers that were in Frisco in the late 1870s.

The mine area and some of the Frisco ruins are currently closed to the public, but the charcoal beehive ovens and the remains of various building are located outside of the restricted area. 

 

 

 

We had just started our vacation when someone pried our travel trailer door open by placing a screwdriver between the door and the door frame, disabling the deadbolt lock. This in turn caused the door to spring open, breaking the large glass window on the side of the trailer. Thankfully, we have good USAA insurance!