| Description |
An important aspect of the railroads and Murray is that it was the only place that had a railroad spur that connected two important railroad lines (Murray Historic Showcase #47.) This connection happened on the site of the Utah Ore Sampling Mill (UOSM). This sampling mill brought in ore from all over the country, not just the Utah mines, effectively connecting Murray to the rest of the nation and world. Along with mining materials, the railroad lines brought immigrant workers to work in the smelters. The smelter industry required skills and a workforce that was hard to find in the original Murray population. Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe (Greece, Austria, and Slavic countries) were the predominate workers in the industry (The History of Murray City, Utah 254.) It was common that the lower the income of the family the closer they lived to the smelter and the slag dumps. It didn't go unnoticed that the area around the smelter and railroad tracks was a slum. In 1937, Reed Clegg noted that, "Unless some government agency engages in a miniature slum-clearing project and provides comfortable and sanitary housing at a cost within reach of the unskilled laborer and smelter worker, unsanitary, inadequate and crowded housing conditions are certain to persist in a well-defined circle surrounding the smelter, the slag dump and the railroad tracks." (The History of Murray City, Utah 255.) The smelting industry, throughout its lifetime would go through periods of high production and no production. This was caused by both mine output and economic depression. The labor force in Murray, therefore, also went through periods of fluctuation. The smelters in times of high production would need to bring in extra immigrant workers, typically from Greece and Australia. Housing in these instances was short and advanced the condition of the slums around the smelters (The History of Murray City, Utah 256.) The smelting companies attempted to remedy this by building some homes and a club-house, but the up and down nature of the smelting industry and economy prevented the area from becoming anything but a community for the poor and lower class (The History of Murray City, Utah 255.) |
