Bingham Canyon is located in the Oquirrh Mountains approximately twenty-five miles southwest of Salt Lake City. The canyon was first settled in August 1848 by two Mormon pioneers, Thomas and Sanford Bingham. The two brothers had been sent to the area by Brigham Young, who requested that they take a herd of horses and cattle belonging to himself, the Bingham family, and others up to the high land around the main canyon. They erected a small cabin about one-and-a-half miles below the entrance to the canyon on the north side of its creek.

The canyon proved to be an ideal place not only for herding cattle, but also for cutting timber. For the next few years, the Bingham brothers spent their time engaged in these pursuits, and also in prospecting for valuable minerals. Some ores were found but the Bingham were advised by Brigham Young not to engage in mining at that time. The policy of the Mormon Church discouraged mining because all available labor was desperately needed to produce the necessities of life. There was also the fear that mining would attract non-Mormons from out of state and have a degrading effect upon those who engaged in it. The ore finds were soon forgotten after 1850 when the Binghams moved to settle Weber County.

When dad got sick from silicosis he was fired and ejected from the company house. We had terrible floods and fires. I have stories of the terrible oppressive measures the companies used to control their workers. When I was small, I watched the violence during the strikes, and later was a participant. About 2 years were subtracted from my meager pension because of strikes.

By 1895 most of the ore bodies were bought by big eastern and foreign companies in a dog eat dog fashion; Utah Consolidated, Boston Consolidated, United States Mining, Apex, and Ohio Copper to name a few of the many. In 1902 Utah Copper began to buy out many of the others and developed open pit mining. Steam shovels from the Panama Canal were now in Bingham. Fifty years later Utah Copper was bought by Kennecott Copper and even they were bought out by other English owners. Many changes followed over the years and today it is the most modern mine in the world.

Mining will cease in about 10 years but it could last for another 50 if it were mined properly. As the mine expanded the town of Bingham was forced to evacuate. I left in 1948 as one of the first. Bingham is now a Ghost town, my home is part of the hole while the lower part of town is completely covered over with dirt. Our house was high on the mountain in the pines and aspens. I loved the town and the people of every nationality. But I have no love of the companies. We have a reunion on every 4th of July but we are becoming fewer every year.

The Mine can be viewed from Kennecott’s overlook near Lark or from Sunshine Peak at the head of Butterfield and Middle Canyons.