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Gold Hill (Tooele) is on Gold Hill Wash, three miles southeast of Woodman Peak. Near-by towns include Ibapah, five miles to the south/southwest, Callao (Juab) 24.5 miles south and Wendover 61.9 miles to the north. The Pony Express Tail ran just south on the way to Callao.
Gold had been first discovered here in 1858 resulting in the first mining boom in the area. A near-by mountain, after which the town was named, yielded many minerals including silver, gold, copper, lead, tungsten, bismuth and arsenic. By 1869 the small settlement consisted of dugouts and shacks made of cedar and willow post. In 1892 the town of Gold Hill was established.
The year 1917 brought the Deep Creek Railroad into Gold Hill and a smelter was constructed. There was a need for arsenic used to control an infestation of insects in the cotton fields of The South during World War I. Almost 100,000 tons of arsenic were mined from 1943 to 1945 and boosted the population of Gold Hill to over 3,000. However, cheaper arsenic prices from abroad cooled that endeavor.
The sizable town in its hay-day had several stores; Goodwin Mercantile and the Gold Hill Pharmacy, Bertelson's grocery & clothing store, the Home Restaurant and Bakery, and a hotel; the Hillcrest. Gold Hill also had a dentist and doctor. There were the Liberty Garage and two lumber yards, an elementary school and pool hall. There was even a house of ill repute. A newspaper; The Gold Hill Standard carried local news and advertisements for the community.
World War II brought with it a demand for tungsten. Once again the town began to flourish as it shipped out tons of the metal. The town dwindled for a third time as the need for tungsten was gone at the end of the war.
Although mining implements, old ore sites and the occasional cabin in the hills lie dormant now, modern technology has kindled a renewed interest in taking another look at the area. Today it is a ghost town and only a few residents still reside here.
See: Utah Place Names; John W. Van Cott, Deep Creek History; Ronald R. Bateman, On-site plaques .
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