On-Site Mills: A Silver Reef Necessity

On-Site Mills: A Silver Reef Necessity. . , On-site transformation of silver ore into bullion was essential in Silver Reef. The closest railhead was 100 miles away in Milford, over rugged country that made shipping difficult. The nearest mills were in Salt Lake City, more than 300 miles north, or Pioche, Nevada, over 100 miles to the northwest. Because of the distance to existing mills and the richness of the ore and the relative ease of breaking and crushing the sandstone, the decision was made to build mills near the mines, process the ore, and then ship finished bullion to rail by wagon., How Did the Mills Operate? , Milling was a multiple stage process that started with silver ore from the mines and ended with the shipment of bullion bars. This process involved the crusher, the stamp mill, the mullers, the retort, and the melting room. , Where Were the Mills? , Five mills were in operation in the area, three of them in Silver Reef, one near Leeds, and another on the Virgin River. Visit the Powder House to see the diorama of historic Silver Reef and models of some of the mills., Did You Know? , Wood, cut from the Pine Vallye Mountains, was taken to this charcoal kiln to pwer the mills. The kiln still exists approximately 3 miles up Oak Grove Road. Photo by John Markovich, 2011. , In the late 1990s, the Utah Division of Oli, Gas and Mining closed 465 shafts for safety reasons. Photo courtesy of Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining. , Thanks to the Utah Geological Association who helped fund this sigh. , This marker has been funded with assistance from Utah State History and the National Park Service. This project is funded in part by the National Trust for Historic Preservation through the Utah Preservation Initiative.