Colton was settled in 1883 under the name "Pleasant Valley Junction," which was the name of a junction on the Pleasant Valley Railroad. The Pleasant Valley Railroad was purchased by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) in 1890.
In addition to the railroad, mining and milling of Ozokerite brought a number of miners to the area. The town quickly grew to include a store, hotel, and five saloons. In 1898 the town was renamed "Colton" in honor of William F. Colton, a railroad official. The town burned down and was rebuilt three different times.
When the D&RWG switched from steam to diesel locomotives, the importance of Colton as a rail stop faded away, along with residents of the town. About the only business establishment building that remains in Colton is the country store, which has now been converted to a single-family residence.
The historic Pleasant Valley Coal Company was the primary supplier of coal for the steam locomotives that had to make the climb to Soldier Summit. After the mine closed, the company's main office buildings at Castle Gate were demolished and the site is now a vacant parking lot that contains a number of historical markers.
One historical marker states that on April 21, 1897, Burch Cassidy, Elsa Lay, and Bob Meeks robbed the mine's paymaster of about $8,000 in gold and silver. Only a small part of the money was ever recovered.
Another historical marker states that coal mining started in the Castle Gate area in the 1870s and had a significant impact on Utah's economy. During WW II mines in the Castle Gate area were some of the leading coke and coal producers in America. The site marker indicates that there are still vast reserves of coal that could be developed if needed.
This was also the site of the Castle Gate Mine disaster. On March 8, 1924, an explosion in the mine instantly killed 171 miners. The majority of the miners killed were immigrants - 57 of the miners were single, 114 were married, and they left 417 dependents, which included 231 children and 25 expectant mothers. Then on July 31, 2000, an explosion in the nearby Willow Creek Mine killed two miners and sent eight others to the hospital. After the 2000 mine explosion, Willow Creek Mine was closed and the entrance was sealed.
The town of Helper (2010 census population 2,201) is just a short distance down the road from Castle Gate and is known as the "Hub of Carbon County." "Hub" referrers to Helper's central location in the county. When the town was formed, it was surrounded by a number of different mining camps.
Helper was settled in 1881 to service narrow gauge locomotives. The town was named after the Helper Engines that were kept in the town and used to help steam powered trains reach the top of Soldier Summit. After D&RGW purchased the line in 1890, a new depot, hotel, and other facilities were constructed in Helper and it became known as the division point between the eastern and western rail terminals.
Another historical marker states that coal mining started in the Castle Gate area in the 1870s and had a significant impact on Utah's economy. During WW II mines in the Castle Gate area were some of the leading coke and coal producers in America. The site marker indicates that there are still vast reserves of coal that could be developed if needed.
This was also the site of the Castle Gate Mine disaster. On March 8, 1924, an explosion in the mine instantly killed 171 miners. The majority of the miners killed were immigrants - 57 of the miners were single, 114 were married, and they left 417 dependents, which included 231 children and 25 expectant mothers. Then on July 31, 2000, an explosion in the nearby Willow Creek Mine killed two miners and sent eight others to the hospital. After the 2000 mine explosion, Willow Creek Mine was closed and the entrance was sealed.
The town of Helper (2010 census population 2,201) is just a short distance down the road from Castle Gate and is known as the "Hub of Carbon County." "Hub" referrers to Helper's central location in the county. When the town was formed, it was surrounded by a number of different mining camps.
Helper was settled in 1881 to service narrow gauge locomotives. The town was named after the Helper Engines that were kept in the town and used to help steam powered trains reach the top of Soldier Summit. After D&RGW purchased the line in 1890, a new depot, hotel, and other facilities were constructed in Helper and it became known as the division point between the eastern and western rail terminals.
By 1891 Helper had a school, three saloons, grocery store, clothing store, and other shops. There was such a large number of people that arrived in Helper from Europe and other parts of the world that an immigration bureau was opened in the train depot. By 1900 there were sixteen different nationality groups living and working in Helper.
In 1903 the Italian coal miners went out on strike, so Greek and Japanese immigrants (which added to Helper's diversity) were brought in to break the strike. The town grew quickly and a number of new businesses were started. By 1912 there were 29 different business, 71 by 1915, 84 by 1919, and 157 by 1925.
I stopped in Helper to visit the Western Mining and Railroad Museum, but the museum was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I was able to walk around the property and take pictures of the mining equipment that was on display outside of the museum.
The Price River runs behind the Museum and is crossed by a pedestrian suspension bridge that was fun to walk across as it swayed from side-to-side and bounced up-and-down.
There are a number of well-kept historical buildings in Helper and a statue of "Big John" that reminded me of Jimmy Dean's song Big John.
BONUS HISTORICAL STORIES & PICTURES
In 1948 Eldon, his brother Ormel, and Lanky Vance built our family a new house on some land we owned about eight miles east of Pierre, South Dakota. Lanky was a professional carpenter, so he may have had other people that also worked on the house.
The new house had electricity, hot/cold running water and two indoor bathrooms. Water was hauled from town in a 1,000-gallon tank that fit in the back of our truck and the water was stored in a cistern west of the house. There was even a full basement under the house that had a washing machine (similar to the one shown below). The washing machine was a large tub open at the top that had an agitator for washing the clothes and a ringer over the tub for removing water from the clothes before the clothes were taken outside and hung on a clothes line. There were hot and cold water faucets on the basement wall connected to a garden hose that could used to fill the washer with water. Waste water was disposed of in a septic tank and drained through a septic field located east of the house.
I remember one day I was helping my Mother run clothes through the ringer and did not let go of the clothing in time. My hand and arm were pulled into the rollers and the rollers were about up to my elbow before Mother got the machine stopped. If I recall, the lever on the side of the ringer stopped the rollers from moving and a large button on top of the ringer released the rollers. Fortunately, no permanent damage was done to my arm.
In 1903 the Italian coal miners went out on strike, so Greek and Japanese immigrants (which added to Helper's diversity) were brought in to break the strike. The town grew quickly and a number of new businesses were started. By 1912 there were 29 different business, 71 by 1915, 84 by 1919, and 157 by 1925.
I stopped in Helper to visit the Western Mining and Railroad Museum, but the museum was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I was able to walk around the property and take pictures of the mining equipment that was on display outside of the museum.
There are a number of well-kept historical buildings in Helper and a statue of "Big John" that reminded me of Jimmy Dean's song Big John.
BONUS HISTORICAL STORIES & PICTURES
In 1948 Eldon, his brother Ormel, and Lanky Vance built our family a new house on some land we owned about eight miles east of Pierre, South Dakota. Lanky was a professional carpenter, so he may have had other people that also worked on the house.
The new house had electricity, hot/cold running water and two indoor bathrooms. Water was hauled from town in a 1,000-gallon tank that fit in the back of our truck and the water was stored in a cistern west of the house. There was even a full basement under the house that had a washing machine (similar to the one shown below). The washing machine was a large tub open at the top that had an agitator for washing the clothes and a ringer over the tub for removing water from the clothes before the clothes were taken outside and hung on a clothes line. There were hot and cold water faucets on the basement wall connected to a garden hose that could used to fill the washer with water. Waste water was disposed of in a septic tank and drained through a septic field located east of the house.
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