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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

Utah Geological Association

Abstract


Mining Districts of Utah, 2006
Pages 286-457

Mines and Geology of the San Francisco District, Beaver County, Utah

William B. Wray

Abstract

The San Francisco mining district includes approximately the southern half of the San Francisco Mountains in Beaver County, west of Milford, Utah. Lead, silver, copper and other minerals were discovered about 1870, and the district was organized in 1871. Most production in the district took place prior to 1920, and since that time only a few metal mines have produced ore, mostly in small quantities. The only current mining activity in the district involves small-scale quarrying of marble.

The district is notable for containing two of the famous mines of the Old West, the fabulous Horn Silver mine and the notorious Cactus mine. The Horn Silver mine was discovered in 1875, and was one of the great bonanza producers in Utah history. The richest ores contained abundant lead and silver, but many types and grades of ore were produced from a wide variety of ore types. The mine produced at least some ore annually for 78 consecutive years, until 1952, plus some more-recent production. During the first one-third century of its operation, the mine paid almost $ 7 million in dividends, being one-third of the value of the recovered metals. The Horn Silver mine created several millionaires, contributed meaningfully to the development of southwestern Utah, and added much to the States’s mining lore. The Cactus mine was promoted and developed by the flamboyant Samuel Newhouse and was mined on a relatively large-scale from 1905 through 1914. Copper from reprocessed tailings was recovered from 1915 until 1919.

The district is home to two well-known ghost towns, Frisco and Newhouse, although little remains of these once-vigorous communities. The Frisco branch of the (now) Union Pacific Railroad served Frisco, and later Newhouse, and the mines of the district, from 1880 until 1943. Frisco reached a population of about 4,000 by 1885, but after the Horn Silver mine caved in 1885, the town steadily lost population. Newhouse prospered during the time of Cactus mine production and promotion in the first two decades of the 20th century, but when mineral recovery ceased the town gradually faded away. Neither townsite has had any residents for the last few decades, and the district presently is uninhabited.

Lead was the dominant metal produced in the district, although the silver content of the ores from several of the larger mines was of comparable economic importance. In addition, much copper was produced from the district, and copper was the dominant metal produced from the Cactus mine. The district ranks 6th among all Utah metal mining districts, by value of metals produced. The production totals are as follows:


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