There were several early settlers in the area of Garfield in the late 1800's who built houses and did a little farming and ranching. When the early Mormon Pioneers came to the Salt Lake Valley several Mormons settled in the area known later as Magna and Garfield. William D. Young actually lived in Dead Man’s Cave for a while.

Abraham Coon had a small ranch at the mouth of the canyon on the West side of the Oquirrh Mountains. This would later be called Coon Canyon. (Called Coon’s Canyon by the locals). Some of the other early settlers were Hiram Spencer, Nephi Hardman, and Joseph Toronto. Toronto would keep his cattle in the cave by Garfield. It was first called Toronto cave, then later changed to Dead Man’s Cave.

In the late 1800's copper and other minerals were discovered in the Oqurrirh Mountains. The Bingham brothers started to do mining at the site of the Bingham Canyon about 1848, but it did not last long. But, the soldiers from Camp Floyd started to do some mining in the 1860's and soon everyone was interested in the site. In the 1890's Thomas Weir and Samuel Newhouse brought big time mining and smelting to the area under the name of Boston Consolidated.