Tooele County

Mile for mile, Tooele County has more mines than any other county in Utah. From the Oquirrh range to the Deep Creep mountains there are literally hundreds of mines dotting the landscape.

In 1849 a small group of LDS settlers moved into the valley. In typical fashion, the settlers began to attack the nearby Goshute Indian villages in an attempt to push them out of their land. There were multiple accounts of attacks by settlers on the Goshute tribe, most resulting in casualties only for the Goshutes. In 1860, the Bureau of Indian affairs attempted to relocate the remaining Goshute Indians to a farming community in the far off Deep Creek mountains, far away from the land they had roamed for centuries before. This again was evidence that the LDS religion was not committed to being friendly with the natives unless there was a monetary gain to be had.

In 1860, the Goshutes began a final fight for their native lands. Mostly on mail outposts, the tide began to turn as the Goshute Nation inflicted many casualties on the invading settlers. This continued on until the LDS leadership pleaded with the US Government, whom they had previously turned their backs on, for assistance. In 1862, General Connor, an established Indian fighter, was dispatched to Utah from California.

General Connor began a ruthless campaign, indiscriminately attacking Indian camps and by 1863 he had tallied over 300 native American kills.

General Connor was also very anti-Mormon, and sought to bring other settlers into Utah by developing mines for precious minerals. It was his men who started the Rush Valley Mining District, with over 100 claims the first year. This gave rise to the towns of Ophir and Mercur and Jacob City. Mercur in its prime grew to over 6000 residents, becoming the largest township in the state at the time, dwarfing even the LDS settlement of Salt Lake City.

Today, Tooele county is still rich in history, travel up most any canyon and you can find bits of history in the form of mines or more recently, mines that have been destroyed by the Dept. of Oil, Gas and Mining with assistance from the BLM. It is however a great place to start your explorations. Start in Ophir and work your way out.

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