The mine is the largest manmade excavation in the world and is considered to have produced more copper than any other mine in history more than 19 million tons. Important in the formation of the copper industry in the late nineteenth century were enos a. As pioneers in mining and metals, we produce materials essential for human progress. It is also, indirectly, a history of industrial development in the us during the 20th century, which is also very interesting. It was managed by the kennecott utah copper corporation and connected the bingham canyon mine with its smelter at garfield. Filmed at the kennecott copper mine salt lake city. Lisbon valley mining company mines copper within utahs lisbon valley, an extensive mineral district which includes commercial mining of copper, potash and uranium as well as natural gas production. However, both companies soon began plans for largescale, openpit operations using railmounted steam shovels to mine the ore and trains to ship it 20 miles to huge concentrating mills at the north. In 1985 operations ceased at the bingham canyon mine. Kennecott utah copper news newspapers books scholar jstor july 20 learn how and when to remove this template message. Price new from used from pamphlet, january 1, 1949. Kennecott ceased removing copper ore by rail from the. Dec 23, 2014 one of the most memorable things to do in salt lake city is to visit the largest manmade hole in history. The apex mine operated intermittently from 1884 to 1962.
The best kennecott copper mine bingham canyon mine tours. Kennecott open pit mine, utah copper mining silver and. These are the largest mining induced landslides in history. Openpit mining operations of utah copper company, at bingham canyon, utah contributor names feininger, andreas, 19061999, photographer united states. It features a hole so large almost a mile deep and nearly 3 miles wide that its visible to astronauts in. This book recounts how kennecott was formed from the merger of three mining. The goal was to record personal accounts and general histories related to five abandoned mine sites on the san rafael swell that are considered areas of critical environmental concern acec. The history of kennecott is the history of mining in the 20th century and this book does an excellent job of conveying that. The kennecott utah copper rail line was an electric railroad in salt lake county, utah.
The visitor experience is dedicated to educating the public about the importance mining plays in modern life, safe mining practices. Historically, utah has been an important copperproducing state. The bingham canyon mine, more commonly known as kennecott copper mine among locals, is an openpit mining operation extracting a large porphyry copper deposit southwest of salt lake city, utah, in the oquirrh mountains. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a kennecott story. The camp and mines are now a national historic landmark district. Kennecott copper mine salt lake city, utah youtube. Cruise high into the oquirrh mountains, up to 7,000 feet in elevation, for a spectacular view of the openpit mine. The mine was created to process lowgrade copper ore found in bingham canyon, about 25 miles southwest of salt lake city. The design reimagined bingham canyon mine, the worlds largest open pit mine, as a monumental work of land art.
This book recounts how kennecott was formed from the merger of three mining operations one in alaska, one in utah, and one in chile. Copperton was established in 1926, by the utah copper company as a residential area and model city for its employees. View the kennecott copper mine from a spectacular mountaintop overlook at 9,000 ft elevation. The kennecott utah copper mine, also known as the bingham canyon copper mine, is the largest and richest copper mine in history, with over 110 years of openpit mining. Starting as a horsepacker on an army expedition, birch rose in 20 years to control 14 per cent of world copper production through his kennecott copper company, with mines in utah, nevada, arizona and chile, in addition to those in alaska. It is located beside the kennicott glacier, northeast of valdez, inside wrangellst. The copper mine tour kennecott salt lake city tours. Nov 08, 2011 filmed at the kennecott copper mine salt lake city. Kennecott copper mine things to do in salt lake city utah. Having said that, i found the book to be oddly organized and fairly technical.
Kennecott, also known as kennicott and kennecott mines, is an abandoned mining camp in the valdezcordova census area in the u. It was built to disperse exhaust gases from the kennecott utah copper smelter at garfield, utah. Western mining history is your source for over 116,000 mines in the western states. Salt lake citys urban growth and kennecott utah copper. Utah copper company, bingham canyon mine, state route 48. Thomas parry billings, history of the bingham mining district, written c. Most experts of that day said the company would never make money. Kennecott copper corporation, at one time the largest producer of copper in the world, played a key role in economic and industrial development. Kennecott utah copper llc kuc, a division of rio tinto group, is a mining, smelting, and refining company. The plant retirement and acquisition of renewable energy certificates will remove more than 1 million tons of co2 from kennecott s wasatch front operations and reduce its annual carbon footprint by as much as 65 percent. Kennecott copper mine utah stock photos download 245.
Salt lake county, utah mines western mining history. Return with us to the abandoned kennecott railroad to see what survives including the towns of copperton and magna as well as the worlds biggest copper mine. The rail line has been replaced by a system of conveyors and a 17milelong 27 km slurry pipeline. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Leckie has written a gripping story set in real history that sweeps us from the relative civilization of edmonton to the shores of the arctic ocean at coppermine during the time of world war one. Learn about the history of this amazing mine and see firsthand the gigantic scale of its operation, vehicles, and artifacts. Bingham canyon reclamation 1 soil salvage began in april 2011 330,000 yd3 2 soil stripping continued through july.
Chuck hawleys kennecott history captures a slice of alaskas pastand. Washington county historical society washington county, utah. I was surprised that dad has lived in utah his whole life and never visited the mine. It features a hole so large almost a mile deep and nearly 3 miles wide that its visible to astronauts in the space shuttle.
Kennecott utah copper llc kuc, a division of rio tinto group, is a mining, smelting, and. Its corporate headquarters are located in south jordan, utah. The kennecott mines and mill town are an abandoned copper mine operation and ghost town in alaska that together, form a national historic landmark district. In 1936, kennecott copper corporation bought out the utah copper company. The kennecott utah copper mine located in bingham canyon is nearly three miles wide and getting close to one mile deep.
Taken from the utah history encyclopedia links added3 as. Utah copper s magna mill, a 6,000tpd operation, started in 1907, while boston consolidateds 3,000tpd arthur mill opened in 1909. February 22, 2012 m0350002 8 m\035\002 bingham canyon mine 2010 activities. Three mines, four men, and one hundred years, 18871997. May 18, 2020 a massive copper mine which closed in 1938. The kennecott copper corporation records were originally donated to the marriott library in the 1990s. Meet matt key the man who captured this footage and find out what lifes like working as chief drone pilot for rio tinto kennecott. On memorial day we decided to have a new family adventure. The mine is owned by rio tinto group, a britishaustralian multinational corporation.
It emerged as a showplace for companysubsidized family life. Located in south central alaska, this mine is full of rich history. This list will be added to on a regular basis as new profiles are added. Kennecott utah copperbingham canyon mine atlas obscura.
The bingham canyon reclamation project, in utah, was a 1973 sitespecific mine reclamation design that artist robert smithson submitted to the mine s management company, kennecott copper corporation. It has produced more copper than any other mine in history. The mine was created to process lowgrade copper ore found in bingham canyon, about 25 miles. Rio tinto kennecott copper mine has a new visitor center.
Visit the kennecott utah copper mine salt lake city tours. Rio tinto kennecott copper mine got its start in 1903, and its gotten bigger and deeper every year. Over 110 years of openpit copper mining has created this spectacular sight, with over 500 miles of dirt road spiraling from top to bottom, and it still has many years of operation left. Here is a list of books, magazines, periodicals, and other publications related to or talking about utahs mining history. With over 20 million tons of refined copper ore produced in the past 116 years, its one of the top performing mines in. I have referenced them all in compiling the histories you are reading on these pages. Kennecott copper corporation, at one time the largest producer of copper in the world, thus played a key role in economic and industrial development. The operation is so immense, it can be seen from space. This book recounts how kennecott was formed from the merger of three mining operations one in alaska, one in utah, and one in chile, how it led the way in mining technologies, and how it was in turn. The kennecott copper mine is located at the edge of the threequartermiledeep 1kilometerdeep pit mine, about 28 miles 45 kilometers southwest of salt lake city.
Three mines, four men, and one hundred years, 18871997 hawley, charles caldwell on. The utah version began on june 4, 1903 when the original utah copper company was created to mine and process low grade copper ore found in a mountain in bingham canyon, about 25 miles southwest of salt lake city. Information on kennecott copper mine, the worlds largest excavation and openpit copper mine, located west of salt lake city, utah. I recently read a phenomenal book about the most innovative of early mining companies, titled a kennecott story. Digging into utah mining history through the kennecott copper. Kennecott has been mining and processing minerals from the rich ore body of the bingham canyon mine since 1903, and is even today one of the top producing mines in the world. Kennecotts bingham canyon mine has produced more copper than any mine in historyabout 18. Kennecott copper mine and great salt lake tour 2020 salt. Metallic ore was first discovered in bingham canyon in 1863, but the first commercial shipment of copper ore did not occur until 1896. A droneseyeview of the bingham canyon copper mine in utah. Discover how ore gets refined to become copper an essential element in todays technology. After 75 years of operation, rio tinto kennecott is retiring the utah power plant located in magna, utah.
Salt lake city, utah our kennecott mine is a worldclass, integrated copper mining operation located just outside salt lake city, utah, in the united states. Kennecott s bingham canyon mine has produced more copper than any mine in history about 18. The bingham canyon mine was the first open pit copper mine in the u. The kennecott copper mine, for a time the largest copper mine in the world, operated from 1911 to 1938 in what is now wrangell st. Leckie bases his story on the murder trial of sinnisiak and uluksuk in 1917, the first jurysystem trial of inuit in canada. Digging into utah mining history through the kennecott. In 1936, kennecott copper corporation bought utah copper company and later.
The two slides, named the manefay landslides by kennecott utah copper kuc, started in the northeast corner of the open pitthe first at 9. A history of the copper globe, lucky strike, tomsich. The company was first formed in 1898 as the boston consolidated mining company. He found his high in the wrangell mountains of alaska. Construction of the bingham and garfield railroad commenced in 1907 to transport ores from bingham to the magna and arthur mills at the northern base of the oquirrh mountains. The kennecott mine is one of those bucket list places every photographer and mine enthusiast should visit. Lisbon valley mining companys current measured, indicated and inferred resources support a project life of approximately ten years.
Bingham canyons manefay landslides and the future of the mine. Kennecott copper railroad at bingham canyon open pit mine. Three mines, four men, and one hundred years, 18871997 kindle edition by hawley, charles caldwell. Also discover the saltiest lake in the western hemisphere, the great salt lake. This book recounts how kennecott was formed from the merger of three mining operations one in alaska, one in utah, and one in chile, how it led the way in mining technologies, and how it was in. The century of copper mining at bingham canyon, for example, has had an enormous economic impact on salt lake county, as well as utah as a whole. Hawley, who has studied alaska mining history for more than 50 years, traces the story of three signature copper mines. The mine is 234 miles across at the top and 34 of a mile deep. April 6, 2020the visitors center is currently closed. The visitor experience is dedicated to educating the public about the importance. Visit the kennecott utah copper mine on a sightseeing bus tour departing salt lake city. Our metals are used to drive innovation and technology in all aspects of life. Kennecott copper mine is the largest excavation in world.
The kennecott utah copper mine, also known as the bingham canyon copper mine, was the worlds first openpit copper mine and today is the largest manmade hole on earth. The bingham canyon mine has now been producing for more than 100 years and will continue to produce into the foreseeable futureover its life, bingham canyon. During the war years many women worked in the mine, mills, and smelter. A whole mountain of copper is actually being moved away, the news reported. Slc guided tours explore the kennecott copper mine, the worlds largest excavation and openpit copper mine. Kennecotts bingham canyon mine will last until at least. The policy of the mormon church discouraged mining because all available. Copper globe, lucky strike, tomsich butte, hidden splendor, and little susan. Jan 04, 2018 kennecott utah copper is now the largest producer of pollution in the state of utah. Willard marriott library 295 south 1500 east, suite 5400 salt lake city, utah 84112. In the fall of 2005, the countrys first new copper mine in more than a decade declared itself open for business.
Feb 24, 2016 video shots, taken in may, 1995, of railroad train activity in and around the worlds largest open pit strip mine of the kennecott copper co. Utah copper company was incorporated on june 4, 1903. The history of kennecott copper corporation is inseparable from the story of the development of copper mining in utah. Throughout the years, the manuscripts division has processed and arranged a variety of materials from it, resulting in a total of 677 cartons, boxes and tubes of accessible records detailing the history of the corporation, which are currently. Kennecott operates the bingham canyon mine, one of the largest openpit copper mines in the world in bingham canyon, salt lake county, utah.
Kennecott copper mine utah oil and gas agency pursues its first fine in nearly 25 years while such metals are vital to the nations economic future, there are few domestic producers. It was in the 1930s that the hill was gone and mining work started to dig a pit. Its one of the largest open pit mines in the entire world, and. Kennecott utah copper llcs garfield smelter stack is a 1,215 feet 370 m high smokestack west of magna, utah, alongside interstate 80 near the great salt lake. Aug 31, 2012 ghosts of kennecott, the story of stephen birch stephen birch was one of thousands who came north in 1898 seeking their fortunes. Founded in 1903, kennecott s bingham canyon mine is one of the largest manmade openpit excavations in the world. Drilling and blasting practices past and present at bingham canyon utah mine, utah copper division of kennecott copper corporation pamphlet january 1, 1949 by richard h willey author see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. The kennecott copper corporation, established in 1903 to operate mines in kennecott, alaska, purchased a financial interest in utah copper in 1915 and fully acquired the company in 1936. Bingham canyon in utah, just southwest of salt lake city. The utah occupational safety and health division is investigating the death tuesday night of a rio tinto kennecott employee exposed to sulfur dioxide two days earlier at the companys smelter. Openpit copper mining at bingham canyon utah geological survey. There are really two histories of kennecottone began in utah and the other in alaska.
The easiest way to get there is by driving or taking a guided day trip from utah s capital. Construction of housing ended in the 1930s and company furnished housing ended in 1955. New labor agreements were negotiated in 1986, and resumption of all kennecott utah copper operations occurred in 1987. Video shots, taken in may, 1995, of railroad train activity in and around the worlds largest open pit strip mine of the kennecott copper co. Kennecott mine and mill town, alaska legends of america. The copper operations at bingham canyon mine are managed through kennecott utah copper corporation which operates the mine, a concentrator plant, a smelter, and a refinery. Visit two utah treasures in one afternoon on this tour from downtown salt lake city. Located about 25 miles southwest of salt lake city, utah, the bingham canyon mine has operated for over a century and continues to produce copper, gold, silver and other valuable minerals. Come discover its beauty as you browse through the many pictures.
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