Utah Apex Mining Company
Compiled by Don Strack
This page was last updated on July 20, 2011.
(This is a work in progress; research continues.)
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Overview
The Utah Apex Mining Company was organized in May 1902 as a merger of the Copperfield Mining Company and the York Mining Company, working 33 claims on 254 acres. The Utah Apex has absorbed the Highland Boy, Petro, Minnie and Phoenix mining companies, which included the York, Copper Field, petro, Highland Boy Consolidated and Phoenix groups of mining claims. All claims are located on York Hill on Carr Fork in Bingham Canyon, adjoining the Utah Consolidated claims. The mine was primarily a producer of high grade lead ore, with considerable copper and silver and gold values. All ore have high iron content which makes for low smelting costs. After the decline of the capper market in 1907, the mine was mainly devoted to silver-lead ore. In 1909 the Utah Apex had rebuilt its mill at the mouth of the old Phoenix tunnel, upgrading it to 200 tons capacity, with plans during 1913 to increase the mill to 350-tons capacity. Daily production in November 1913 was reported to be about 50 tons of silver-lead ore and 150 tons of concentrates, all being shipped by way of a spur on the railroad of Utah Copper Company. Utah Apex had earlier constructed a 3000-foot Bleichert aerial tramway to transport ore from its Andy tunnel to a loading station, but the tramway was not in use during late 1913. (The Copper Handbook, Volume 11, 1912-1913, page 927)
Timeline
October 2, 1906
W. C. Orem, manager of Utah Apex, reported that the new compressor had been installed. "It is a monster affair and took 24 horses to haul it up the canyon from the Rio Grande depot." The new compressor would support the use of 15 drills within the mine. "The aerial tramway to operate between the portal of the Andy tunnel and the ore bins built on the switch from the tracks of the Copper Belt railroad, is nearing completion. Upon completion of the tramway system the extraction of ore will be resumed and continued into the future without letup. (Deseret News, October 2, 1906)
December 30, 1906
Utah Apex "...has during the year built a new aerial tramway system, which it is planned to operate from the mouth of the Andy tunnel to the bottom of Carr Fork gulch. The tramway will run to a point at the bottom of the gulch, where it will be within working distance of the compressor plant. Here the company plans to erect its ore bins..." "In addition to the big tramway system the company has every assurance that during the present year a spur of the Copper Belt railroad will be built up to these bins, which will place the company in a position to have its ore handled at a much lower rate than it is at present. The company is shipping by teams to Bingham about 100 tons of ore daily." The Utah Apex is part owner of the Markham gulch mill, under construction, where the mine will have its concentrating ores milled. The new mill was planned for completion in April 1907. The smelting ore will be shipped directly to a local smelter. (Salt Lake Herald, December 30, 1906)
February 1, 1907
Utah Apex began the movement of ore over its new aerial tramway on February 1, 1907, between the Andy tunnel and the ore bins situated in Carr Fork. These new ore bins were served by wagons and teams, doing away with expensive and unsafe use of teams, especially during the winter months. Within a year, the mining company hoped that a spur of the Rio Grande Western would be built to serve the ore bins at the lower terminal of the tramway. All ore was to be transported by way of the tramway, pending completion of the Parvenu tunnel. (Deseret News, December 14, 1907)
After Utah Apex
In August 1941, the Elton Tunnel opened as a way to transport the ore from the mines in Carr Fork, underground through the 4.5 mile tunnel, to a spur on the Tooele valley Railway for shipment to the International smelter. (click here for more information about the Elton Tunnel)
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