Cottonwood Heights in Salt Lake County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Silica Beds
Big Cottonwood Canyon Trail
Photographed By Andrew Johnson, September 22, 2018
1. Silica Beds Marker
Inscription.
Silica Beds. Big Cottonwood Canyon Trail. In the foothills above Wasatch Boulevard, north of the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, is an area that was known as the “Silica Beds.” In 1910 the Utah Fireclay Company opened a mine at that location. Silica and clay were needed to make the bricks used to line the furnaces of the smelters. The mine owners built an aerial tramway that extended about 1½ miles to a place near the canyon road where the ore was loaded onto trucks and taken to a plant to be made into bricks and furnace linings. The mine was eventually abandoned with the discovery that the silica contained too much iron ore, causing the bricks to be of poor quality.
In the foothills above Wasatch Boulevard, north of the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, is an area that was known as the “Silica Beds.” In 1910 the Utah Fireclay Company opened a mine at that location. Silica and clay were needed to make the bricks used to line the furnaces of the smelters. The mine owners built an aerial tramway that extended about 1½ miles to a place near the canyon road where the ore was loaded onto trucks and taken to a plant to be made into bricks and furnace linings. The mine was eventually abandoned with the discovery that the silica contained too much iron ore, causing the bricks to be of poor quality.
Erected 2013 by Cottonwood Heights Historic Committee.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 40° 37.696′ N, 111° 48.087′ W. Marker is in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, in Salt Lake County. Marker can be reached from Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, on the right when traveling south. The marker is on the Old Mill Bike Path approximately 475 feet southeast of the parking lot at Old Mill Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Salt Lake City UT 84121, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Tithing House (within shouting distance of this marker); Ern and Molly Green Cabin
Photographed By Andrew Johnson, September 22, 2018
2. Silica Beds Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 27, 2018. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2018, by Andrew Johnson of Salt Lake City, Utah. This page has been viewed 192 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 23, 2018, by Andrew Johnson of Salt Lake City, Utah. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
