The Founding of Coalville City

The Founding of Coalville City. . In the fall of 1858, William H. Smith, a freighter, hauling freight between Salt Lake City and Fort Bridger, Wyoming drove into the campground on Chalk Creek. He noticed that where wheat had been spilled it had taken root, grown and ripened. He thougth that if wheat could be grown to maturity it would be a good location for a farm center. A first the settlement was called Chalk Creek, but after the discovery of Coal, the name was changed to Coalville. , , About the time William H. smith was discovering wheat growing the Chalk Creek area, Thomas Rhoades, a roving hunter and trapper discovered outcroppings of coal. He had gone up on a high knoll at what is now known as Skunk's Point, to scan the countryside for game. He dug out samples of coal with his knife; he took them to Salt Lake City, and presented them to the Mormon Prophet Brigham Young. Brigham Young had offered an award of $1,000 to any one finding coal within 50 miles of Salt Lake City. Nothing seemed to have been done about it until in 1860 Brigham Young sent John Muir and Sam Fletcher out to investigate the discovery. They were camped in a large Hawthorne patch at the forks in the Canyon of Chalk Creek. While dressing in the morning, Flectcher saw a deer. He shot it, but only wounded it. Not wanting to lose it, he called to Muir t help him trail it. They trailed it over into Grass Creek, and came upon a ledge to rock standing higher than the surrounding country. Underneath the rock was a vein of coal ten feet thick. This mine was opened on what is known as Lion's hill by Daniel H. Wells, Bryant Stringham and Stephen Taylor. It was called Old Church Mine. , , Joel Lewis, H.B. Wilde, and Andrew Johnson were the first to open a mine near Coalville in what is now known as Allen Hollow. Andrew Johnson also opened up a mine at the head of Spring Hollow. The first mine operated in Spring Hollow was called the Black Diamond Mine. Another was called the Wasatch. Andrew Johnson sold the mine to W.H. Smith who later sold it to the Weber Coal Company. This company ran the coal mine for many years and furnished work for many Coalville residents. , , Farmers would work on their farms in the summer and work in the Wasatch or Grass Creek mines during the winter. In 1868 about the time the Allen Hollow mine was opened, three others were being opened. John Spriggs opened one that ran under the school house hill and under the town. That mine was abandoned, although relatives still own the Coal. John Booth opened a mine in Dexter's Hollow south of town. During the early days, hundreds of tons of coal were hauled mostly by ox teams to Salt Lake City. , , On January 16, 1867, the Legislature approved an act incorporating the City of Coalville. The first mayor was W.W. Cluff, 1867-1871. , , From "Echo of Yesterday" (Compiled by Nellie Frost)