The era of the "Great Depression" began with the crash of the stock market in 1929. The economy of the United States changed dramatically. Americans were in peril; unprecedented numbers were jobless. President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in . . . — — Map (db m243202) HM
The history of three towns – Harrisburg, Silver Reef, and Leeds – is intricately connected. Harrisburg and Silver Reef are ghost towns today, while Leeds persists. Like many locations in the arid west, water and its availability and . . . — — Map (db m59662) HM
The Leeds CCC camp opened in October 1933 under the direction of the Dixie National Forest Service on the site of an existing ranger station. Leeds, a town of less than 200, more than doubled with the opening of the camp. Two hundred young men from . . . — — Map (db m59659) HM
From Native American Trail to Interstate Exit
A Local History of Passage
The earliest desert routes in the West followed water. Having drinking water for person or pack animal was critical in negotiating the extreme heat and rugged . . . — — Map (db m243204) HM
The building to your left was originally built as a schoolhouse in 1880 in nearby Silver Reef. It also served in the mining boomtown as a place for community dances and other gatherings.
Soon after the schoolhouse was built, Silver Reef began . . . — — Map (db m59663) HM
Built in 1933, the Leeds Civilian Conservation Corps Camp is significant as perhaps the best remaining example of a CCC camp in Utah. These camps were typically built of relatively temporary frame construction, and the surviving buildings and . . . — — Map (db m55807) HM
In the depression year of 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt initiated the Civilian Conservation Corps. This program provided much needed employment for the nation's youth 18-25 years old. The men had to complete the 8th grade, and have 3-4 . . . — — Map (db m57169) HM
Between 1875 and the end of 1876, Silver Reef boomed with development, going from a boulder-strewn flat to a town of 1,500 people, one of the largest in Washington county.
Silver Reef soon became the center of permanent development, and many . . . — — Map (db m59660) HM
Across this small canyon, the stone foundation and other remnants of the Barbee & Walker Mill are still visible. By comparing the photos below with the location of the foundation, visualizing the size of this mill and how it looked in the 1880s . . . — — Map (db m243211) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m243208) HM
Double-thick walls, metal doors and its small size (11' x 11') probably made this building an effective crime deterrent in the rough mining town.
The jail was originally located about one block east of here. After Silver Reef was . . . — — Map (db m243207) HM
Rice Bank Building
1877
Built by John H. Rice
After the decline of the mining town, it was used as living quarters by a long succession of local families.
In 1982, a devastating fire destroyed most of the structure leaving only the . . . — — Map (db m243210) HM
Schoolhouse site built 1880
Miss Carrie Walker taught up to 85 students. In the early 1900s it was moved to Leeds. It is still in use as the town hall. — — Map (db m243212) HM
Silver just wasn't found in sandstone! At least, that was the common belief of geologists in 1875. But there it was, in the sandstone-with over $10 million worth being mined and milled during Silver Reef's boom years from 1875 to 1888. The . . . — — Map (db m243209) HM
St. John's Church
After his 1877 visit to Silver Reef, Father Scanlan appointed Father Dennis Kiely as the local pastor. The increasing Catholic population continued to ask for a church. Father Scanlan returned in November 1878 to . . . — — Map (db m59627) HM
This building, built in 1891-92, was the Leeds Tithing Office. The building was most likely constructed by the renowned stone masons of the era, Willard McMullin and Sons.
The settlers of Leeds were almost exclusively members of The Church . . . — — Map (db m243203) HM
William Stirling, a prominent and early settler of Leeds, came into what seemed, for the times, a fortune. Stirling, a farmer and winemaker, was also the chief executive officer for the Leeds Water Company. In 1872, on a cold winter day while . . . — — Map (db m243205) HM
The history of Harrisburg, Leeds, and Silver Reef is closely intertwined. Historic Harrisburg is a ghost town today, as is Silver Reef, although the homes of New Silver Reef have sprung up close to the historic town. Leeds continues as both a . . . — — Map (db m243213) HM
From Ditches to Pipes
The Use and Control of Water Controls the Future
The earliest settlers in Leeds used innovation and hard work to divert water from Leeds Creek to their homes, fields, and industry. The town pioneers carefully . . . — — Map (db m243206) HM
