117760

Tyng, (£orge Grave - utah - Miller Hill, Arrerican Fork ~ UTAH STATE HISTORY 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 3 9222 00575 8300 ' Can~ STATE OFoUTAH DIVISION OF STATE HISTORY HISTORIC SITES SURVEY County Dteb (Type or Print - Complete Applicable Sections) and/or Historic: Grave ot GeorD T]ng . rtw;~l:~1;:ON:YD//~;:o;~oo~.\>::\o;\o>io\()j~!g{:;:;;\:;o;=:\,:,;:;:::::::=::~;o}::o\\/(/;~o:'::~\:{\~::;:\/:o\:)::::o~o:o>!(>:S~~):\o;':o;'='o'::~Y)~~!~~:({{??/\?S\)(?:;:::}~:}:;:::::o:;i:~~:::!)} Street and Number or Other Description of Location MUler Hill, AIIeric8Jl Fork Canyon City, Town, or Township I State Code I I 43 I UTAH I County: I Code PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Agricultural Commercial Educational Entertainment o o o o 0 0 0 0 Government Industrial Military Museum 0 0 0 0 Park Private Residence Religious Scientific Transportation Zon i ng (Specify) 0 Other' (Specify) Comments o not usea no c ...:> < Owners Name: IIll.ller Hill Minin« Street and Number COIll)8DY Box 37 City or Town : IState Provo, Utah Zip Code o ° l I Code Courthouse, Registry of Deeds, Etc: Utah Tax Aaaesaent Records, Alpine School District Street and Number: en City or Town : Zip Code ProVO Approximate Acreage of Nominated Property: LCode r 43 i;" ..3 Z • [jIHi;ii~e:f.t~~W1.~t$.:f{t~\t~~fii~H~o~~E:Y.$./iiJiij::ij}<o::}Fo:o~~;(~/{o;o:://\/:\/:::/{\::':'~o:?:\(}{\:\;~o:o~,;\;6:!{!\}o:i):!\:oo\li'!.!(;(/+~i~::Yr)~; T itle of Survey Records : Date of Survey : Federal o State o County Local Depository for Survey Records : Street and Number: City of Town : Form HSS-1/69I3M I State: Zip Code o r ..oa: CONDIT I ON INTEGRITY E xcelle nt y A ltered G ood o 0 F ai r (Check One) Unaltered Describe the Present and Orginal ( if known) Physical Appearance o (Check O ne) Deteriorated I o Moved Grave site is surrounded by a picket fiDee. high on Miller Hill just off mining road. Ruins 0 o (Check One) Grave is Unexposed Original Site o THE GRAVE OF GEOOOE TYro ON MILLER HILL, AMERICAN FORK CANYON George Tyng (pronounced ting) was, according to a family record, of Scottish ancestory. 'I Oren~ial. Many of the local legends claim he was Tyng was actually born in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He was a well educated man, even studying in Hanover Germany. George Tyng was an adventurous young man and spent several years in CUba and South America where he married a Spanish woman named Elena Carrillo Thompson. Arizona attracted him and he was soon involved in territorial government. Tyng served as a court clerk, a district recorder, a sheriff and even a united States Marshall in the Arizona Territory. Tyng had owned a newspaper, a ranch and was involved in railroad construction. He supervised the construc- tion of a line in Mexico before being driven out by some rebels. It was in Mexico where his son Francis was born. Tyng often took trips to New York to meet great financiers. Somewhere in New York Tyng heard about the Miller Hill in American Fork Canyon. Captured by a mining spirit he brought his son Francis to American Fork in 1901. He hired Joseph Householder to take him up to the mines on an old buckboard. By this time Q)J.aken Aspens had grown up in the old Miller Hill road. For Tyng it was a case of love at first sight. He was not only taken in by the mining possibilities but with the region and the scenery. -22- Tyng soon bought the Kalamazoo claims and leased the old Miller property from the Miller Mining and Smelting Company of New York. He put his son Francis in charge of the Wyoming Tunnel and called the whole operation the "Arizona Lease". The work at first was discouraging and very expensive. expending a small fortune, Tyng was ready to give up. After Before going down to American Fbrk for the last payroll the mine foreman, John H. Howes, asked Tyng for permission to put a shot or two in a seam of iron which was showing on one side of the tunnel. ahead", replied Tyng, "it can't do any harm." "Go While Tyng was gone Howes was excavating a place to put a tie for a mine track and his pick drove into a rich are body. When Tyng returned to the mine a day or two after to payoff the men and close the mine be found that the Miller Hill held a fortune. carbonate and it flowed like sand. The are was a rich soft Theordore Nicholes, who worked for Tyng, said breast boards had to be placed between square sets to keep the are from running and closing up the stoop. could sack 350 sacks of this kind of are daily. Two men Some of the are was so rich that it was secretly packed over the diVide into Alta with an armed guard escourt. the are. Tyng's major problem now was moving Tons of are was stored in sacks at futchman Flat after being dragged down from the mine on deer skins over the snow. -23- Tyng immediately hurried back to New York to negotiate an extension of his lease with the Miller Mining and Smelting Company. About the same time he sent Francis to the Colorado School of Mines to study new methods. Tyng was a liberal spender and a generous employer. paid 75 cents to $1 above the prevailing daily wage. He always High on the Miller Hill looking out over some of the wildest and greatest scenery in the country, Tyng built a two-story boarding house. He hired some of the best cooks around and people came even from Salt Lake City to the top of the mountain to eat, dance and get a first-hand look at Tyng's fortune. furing the winter of 1905-1906 the snowfall was exceptionally heavy. Even though the avalanche danger was extremely high, the Tyngs worked on, their cabins built on ridges away from known slides. On · January 14, fourteen of Tyng' s ore teams were trapped by a large snowslide. On January 19, just after noon, Tyng was in his cabin office doing paper work when a tremendous cascade of snow swept over the building crushing it to the ground and driving a spike from the ceiling timbers into his skull. By night time his entire crew at the mine finally found him buried beneath 15 feet of snow, a pencil still held in his frozen fingers. The miners stood. guard over his body all night to protect it from the wolves, even though a terrific blizzard was raging, partially destroying the shelter shack. -24- The body was hauled down the canyon on a sleigh to American Fork for embalming. in American Fork. real gentleman. His death was a shock and was mourned by many He was well respected and ws considered to be a He often helped raise the ed with forclosure. mo~age on homes endanger- Theodore Nichols said that there was not a man on the crew who would not work his head off for the old man. Tyng's friend Jesse Wynne said it was in character that he died with his boots on. When Mrs. Tyng arrived in American Fork several days later the will was opened and read. To everyone 18 8urprise, Tyng had requested to be buried just below the boarding house on the brow of the Miller Hill, where each night in the summer and fall he had smoked his pipe and gazed out crver the enchanting scenery. was strapped back on a toboggan and pulled up the canyon. cAtllll\ utI" January 30, Tyng was finally laid to rest. The body On The family later construct- ed a picket fence around the grave where sorneo! the most beautiful wildflowers seem to mark the spot. There is no headstone or markers to identify the old entrepreneur who i8 resting there. Tyng was an important factor in American Fork history. employed well over 100 men. worth of produce. give everyone a He Farms sold him hundreds of dollars He refused to contract out sUJlplies so he could c~nce. smith shops in business. His ore wagons constantly keep the blackJohn Howes, who discovered the ore, was rewarded with a new home in American Fork. -25- Many other earned money to buy their homes by being in Tyng's employ. The Arizona lease expired July 15, 1908 after producing 12,000 tons of ore worth well over $870,000. Tyng's grave is accessable by all-wheel drive vehicles, horseback or by hiking. Many people make the trip each year to rununage through the old mine dumps and to look at the scenery. hunters camp in the area. In the fall The grave is located on private property and may not be preserved if action is not taken by the Historical Society. The picket fence should be maintained and a narative posted nearby. With the increasing mobility and lea sure time we are experiencing, many people will visit the spot in the future. -26- SOURCES OF INroRMATION ON GEOWE 'l'YNG Beck, Stephen F., "History of American Fork Canyon." Typewritten, n.d., Mr. Beck worked in the canyon and knew George Tyng. James, Laurence P., "George Tyng I s Last Enterprise: A Prominent Texan and a Rich Mine in Utah." Journal of the West, VIII, #3 (July, 1969), 429-427. Includes these references: The Tyng Family in America, privately published genealogy. Dorthy Tyng, personal communication, 1967 (Victoria Texas). Yams Sentinal, January, 1880. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 201; describes the early operations of the Tyng mine in detail. Salt Lake Mining Review, 1902. Western Mineral Survey, October 2, 1931. Salt Lake Tribune, January 21, 1906. Mineral Survey, Date unknown, found on microfilm, nJP Adams Camp, Film 920, #51-52, Brigham Young university Library. M.ll.liner, Kent, "The History of American Fork Mining District." Typewritten, n.d., William Hansen in interview with author, November 22, 1959, at American Fork, Utah. Hansen hauled ore for Tyng. Swenson, Ezra, Interview August 6, 1971, Pleasant Grove, Utah. Wootton, John H., "The American Fork Mining District." West Magazine, VII (April, 1916), 36-39. -27- The New RANGE , E. 3 TOWNSHIP SECTION T.'S T.+S anyon ~OS~ To ... 5 T·SS ..., ~ 'i ,d»1 .-...,,,,1. IfJE JUE S., 21 t "k '. LJV()lfll~ TWlllfI-" ' , :r I I I 809 ""o/t PERIOD (Check One or More es Appropriate) Pre-Columblen 15th Century 0 0 16th Century 17th Century 0 0 19th Century 18th Century 1st atr. 0 2nd atr.O SPECIFIC DATE(S) Of Applicable end Known) 3rd atr. 4th atr. 0 0 0 2nd atr. 0 1st atr. AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More .. Approprlete) Aboriglnel Education Architecture 0 0 0 0 0 Art 0 Commerce ., Literature Communications 0 0 Militery Preh istoric Historic Agriculture Con..rvetlon Engln..rlng Industry Invention Landscepe Architecture Music 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Polltlcel Religion! Phll~phy Science Sculpture o o o o 20th Century 3rd atr. 4th atr. 0 0 1906 ,.~en PJ~!li!'g Other (Specify) II o Ii Soclell Humenlterlen Theater Trensportatlon 0 0 0 STATEMENT OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (Include Builder/Architect, Orglnal & Subsequent Owners, Det.., Events, Etc.) see enclosure a:lllidftB"··· ······· ··· ;·: i:";~i:i~:~Q;.'w.~it+~1ii':~r.,..~~~':~~~~: ...~i'~~I!i.~iIi ..~~;~~f.\."':.~~:·~~~~:J?"'."'!fi:i:.=:~.:'::.::::.:}: (:_·: ···:· :if.it~:~lr:i·· ·· ·· ··I;:~iI!i:A:ISIH~"I+.ll: · ·· ~l!!.1!.:e~~· · · ·:I""'~~Il¥;wr.·· ·· ·i"4&·:I;;';:';""J';;';"Yi!r:··:i!i.:~ ··.,..~· ·:ti.l.m..... See enclosure LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY r------,----------------,----------------; OR CORNER LONGITUDE LATITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY OF LESS THAN ONE ACRE Degrees Minutes Seconds LATITUDE LONGITUDE Degrees M i nutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW 0 0 o o NE 0 0 o SE 0 0 o o SW 0 0 o o o LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES State : Code County : Code State: Code County : Code State : Code County : Code State: Code County: Code I Alan C. Stauffer Date Street and Number : P. O . Box 1BB1 333 E., 720 S., Orea, Utah City or Town : State: Code UTAH 43 r~:;~·t~Af.;.W_lM:tf.Qtd)Jn.li.tt.1.$.Jt~£il@tt;~fjA'M~f.(~:8.~~A~_$ri:i'·~ii);,:·<.:~!~~·:T}):i/:·\}(::~~r:/i)}.:}(:!!i(i U.S • rorest Service Senator Ern••t H. Dee Incorpor!lted 0 Non-profit 0 See enclosure L.ATITUDE AND L.ONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGL.E L.OCATING THE PROPERTY ~-----,~--------------~----------------; CORNER L.ATlTUDE L.ONGITUDE DegreM Minutes Seconds OR L.ATITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds NW 0 0 N€- 0 0 SE 0 0 SW 0 0 L.ATITUDE AND L.ONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY OF L.ESS THAN ONE ACRE L.ONGITUDE Degrees Minut.. s Seconds o o o o .. Oegrees Minutes Seconds o o o o !..1ST ALL. STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES State : Code County: Code State: Code County: Code State: Code County: Code State: Code County: Code I Alan C. Stauffer Date Street and Number: 333 E., 720 S., Orem, Utah P.O . Box 1881 State: City or Town: UTAH u.s • Forest Service Senator Ernest H. Dean Incorporated 0 Non-profit 0 I Coda 43 r¢.}~:ti.~¥i.¢.A$.'~(?~·hiii:/.:·::::/Z7]U>?2;';:-;i'::?\5ji(:N:~::;:';:::j.'ii:!\:rJP:f:7?/>}/.:;/·:\·:?/:/:://///:)/~\/::;::~\'/.::;';:::';i{:.~ :'i~:::;::;-;·:/t::::::::'·.y!U:;):~; . PERIOD (Check One or More as Approprlete) Pre-Columbian 15th Century 0 0 16th Century 17th Century 0 0 19th Century 18th Century 1st atr. 0 2nd atr.O SPECIFIC DATE(S) elf Applicable and Known) 3rd atr. 4th atr. 0 0 1st atr. 0 2nd atr.O 20th Century 3rd atr. 4th atr. 0 0 1906 II AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate) Aboriginal Preh istoric Historic Agriculture Architecture Art Commerce Communications Conservation 0 0 0 D D 0 iI D 0 Education E ngineet'lng Industry Invention Landscape Architecture Literature Military Music 0 D D D D 0 D D 0 Political 0 Philosophy Science Sculpture Social! Humanitarian Thaater Transportation Urban Planning . Othet' (Specify) Religion/ 0 0 D mntmg 0 Ii D 0 0 STATEMENT OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE (Include Builder/Architect, Orglna' & Subsequent Owners, Dates, Events, Etc.) see enclosure l' .l, 0 . ~ , ;'11. TA ·,. "~ o, ; ; , II .: @~~ , , - . . ,.. ,... . . MI! ~ ,anyon " , .,,1' ,..."" c ... ·f~·.5J ,. "84• EI <- : Th ..... . •• n -. AREA . r. '.' . ... w tT.a .. · R.2E R3£ ~ f· : ! J RANGE 3 E. TOWNSHIP 3 S. SECTION 21 SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON GEOIDE TYNG Beck, Stephen F., "History of American Fork canyon." Typewritten, n.d., Mr. Beck worked in the canyon and knew George Tyng. James, Laurence P., "George Tyng's Last Enterprise: A Prominent Texan and a Rich Mine ill Utah." Journal of the West, VIII, #3 (July, 1969), 429-427. Includes these references: "TheTyng -Family in America,: · p;ri~~~el.y ~pu.b1i8he~ genealogy,; Dorthy Tyng, personal communication, 1961 (Victoria Texas). Yams Sentinal, January, 1880. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 201; describes the early operations of theTyng mine in detail. ~; Salt Lake Mining Review, 1902. Western Mineral SUrVey, October 2, 1931. Salt Lake Tribune, January 21, 1906. Mineral Survey, Date unknown, found -on microfilm, OOP Adams camp, Film 920, #51-52, Brigham Young University Library. lhlliner, Kent, liThe Histor;r of .American Fork Mining District." Typewri tten, n. d., William Hansen in interview vi th author, November 22, 1959, at American Fork, utah. Hansen hauled ore for Tyng. Swenson, Ezra, lnterview August 6, 1971, Pleasant Grove, Utah. Wootton, John H., "The American Fork Mining District." West Magazine, VII (April, 1916), 36-39. -27- The New to buy their homes by being in Tyng's employ. The Arizona lease expired July 15, 1908 after producing 12,000 tons of ore worth well over $870,000. Tyng's grave is accessable by all-wheel drive vehicles, horseback or by hiking. Many people make the trip each year to rummage through the old mine dumps and to look at the scenery. hunters camp in the area. In the fall The grave is located on private property and. may not be preserved if action is not taken by the Historical Society. The pLcket fence should be maintained and a narative posted nearby. With the increasing mobility and lea sure time we are experiencing, many people will visit the spot in the future. -26- The body was hauled down the canyon on a sleigh to American Fork for embalming. in American Fork. real gentlew.an. His death was a shock and was mourned by many He was well respected and was considered to be a He often helped raise the mortsage on homes endanger- ed with forclosure. Theodore Nichols said that there was not a man on the crew who woUl.d not work h1s head 01'1' 1'or the o~d man. Tyng' s friend Jesse Wynne said it was in character that he died with his boots on. When Mrs. Tyng arrived in American Fork several days later thew:l.J.l. was opened and read. To everyone's surprise, Tyng had requested to be buried just below the boarding house on the brow of the Miller Hill, where each night in the summer and fall he had smoked his pipe and gazed out over the enchanting scenery. was strapped back on a toboggan and pulled up the canyon. '..,; . ,1,~, The 'body On -..':. ' . January 30, Tyng was finally laid to rest. The family later construct- ed a picket fence around the grave where some of the most beautiful wildflowers seem to mark the spot • . There is no headstone or markers to identify the old entrepreneur who is resting there. Tyng was an important factor in American Fork histOry. employed well over 100 men. worth of produce. He Fanus sold him hundreds of dollars He refused to contract out supplies so he could give everyone a chance. His ore wagons constantly keep the black- smith shops in business. John Howes, who discovered the ore, was rewarded with anew home in American Fork. -25- Many other earned money Tyng immediately hurried back to New York to negotiate an extension of his lease with the Miller Mining and Smelting Company. About the same time he sent Francis to the Colorado School of Mines to study new methods. Tyng was a liberal spender and a generous employer. paid 75 cents to $l -aoove the prevailing daily wage. He always High on the Miller Hill looking out over some of the wildest and greatest scenery in the country, Tyng built a two-story boarding house. He hired some of the best cooks around and people came even from Salt Lake City to the top of the mountain to eat, dance and get a first-hand look at Tyng's fortune. During the winter of 1905-1906 the snowfall ws exceptionally heavy. Even though the avalanche danger was extremely high, the Tyngs 'WOrked on, their cabins built on ridges awy from known slides. On January 14, fourteen of Tyng' s ore teams were trapped by a large snowslide. On January 19, just after noon, Tyng was in his cabin office doing paper 'WOrk when a tremendous cascade of snow swept over the building crushing it to the ground and driving a spike from the ceiling timbers into his skull. By night time his entire crew at the mine finally found him buried beneath 15 feet of snow, a pencil still held in his frozen fingers. The miners stood guard over his body all night to protect it from the wolves, even though a terrific blizzard was raging, partially destroying the shelter shack. -24- Tyng soon bought the Kalamazoo claims and leased the old Miller property from the Miller Mining and Smelting Company of New York. He put his son Francis in charge of the Wyoming Tunnel and called the whole operation the "Arizona Lease". The work at first was discouraging and very expensive. expending a small fortune, Tyng was rea~ to give up. After Before going down to American Fork for the last payroll the mine foreman, John H. Howes, asked Tyng for permission to put a shot or two in a seam of iron which was showing on one side of the tunnel. ahead", replied Tyng, "it can It do any harm." "Go While Tyng was gone Howes was excavating a place to put a tie for a mine track and his pick drove into a rich ore bo~. When Tyng returned to the mine a day or two after to payoff the men and close the mine be found that the l/..ill.er Hill held_a fortune. carbonate and it flowed like sand. The are was a rich soft Theordore Nicholes, who worked for Tyng, said breast boards had to be placed between square sets to keep the are from running and closing up the stoop. could sack 350 sacks of this kind of ore daily. Two men SOme of the are was so rich that it was secretly packed over the divide into Alta wi th an armed guard escourt. the ore. Tyng I S major problem now was moving Tons of ore was stored in sacks at l)J.tchman Flat after being dragged down from the mine on deer skins over the snow. -23- THE GRAVE OF GEOmE TIm ON MILLER HlI.L, AMERICAN FORK CANYON George Tyng (pronounced ting) was, according to a family record, of Scottish ancestory. Orential. Many of the local legends claim he was Tyng was actually born in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Hewa-s ':a"''well ed'rca'ted- mah~ eVen 'studYing ' in' Hanover Germany. George Tyng was an adventurous young man and spent several years in Cuba and South America where he married a Spanish woman named Elena Carrillo Thompson. Arizona attracted him and he involved in territorial government. wa~soon Tyng served as a court clerk, a district recoX¢er, a sheriff and even a united states Marshall in the Arizona Terri tory. Tyng had owned a newspaper, a ranch and was involved in railroad construction. He supervised the construc- tion of a line in Mexico before being driven out by some rebels. It was in Mexico where his son Francis was born. Tyng often took trips to New York to meet great financiers. Somewhere in New York Tyng heard about the Miller Hill in American Fbrk Canyon. Captured by a mining spirit he brought his son Francis to American Fbrk in 1901. He hired Joseph Householder to take him up to the mines on an old buckboard. By this time Qusken Aspens had grown up in the old Miller Hill road. For Tyng it was a case of love at first sight. He was not only taken in by the mining possibilities but with the region and the scenery. -22- CONDITION Excellent or Good o Fair . Unaltered INTEGRITY Altered Describe the Present and Orginal (If known) Phvsical Appearance o (Check One) o (Check One) Deteriorated I o Moved Grave site is surrounded by a picket finea. high on Miller ' RU1Just off mining road". Ruins 0 o (Check One) Grave is Unexposed Original Sit. 0 iI STATE OF UTAH DIVISION OF STATE HISTORY HISTORIC SITES SURVEY County Utab . (Typ,,- or Print - Complete Applicable Sections) andlor Historic : [:ai\~N~~1ijj·~t~!/::::i-i~iwtj:~k~;::·P;~fi·i~.W;:;~;ii~~{~::;:}:;·;~~:,:\:;;:\}~~:\:(:??:t/:;:~::::??;}·i!{:~:\l!;:~::::r?!~~;~:{V)!./\;!·:~i:::=:'M:~~~!'~di}»;J.~!).~~.i.;)?(;;J~::::\{::\;!t:::::t~ Str"t and Number or Other Description of Location Miller Hill. A.IIIericanFork C~yon City, Town, or Township I UTAH CATEGORY (Check Ona) District . Sita L Coda I Coda I County: State 0 0 Building I 43 I OWNERSHIP 0 0 JO 0 Public StructureD Privata Both ObiactP ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC STATUS Public Acquisition: In Process Baing Considered iii 0 0 Il Occupied Unoccupied Pr...rvatlon work In progress D . ~ Yes: 0 I! 0 Restricted Unrestricted No: PR ESENT USE (CheckOntl or Mortl as Appropriate) Government Industrial Educational 0 0 0 Entertainment D Museum Agricultural Commercial 0 0 0 0 Military Park Privata Resldance Religious Scientific 0 0 0 0 Transportation Other (Specify) not used o Zoning (SpKify) ~ Comments 0 o n o c: :J ~. Owners Name: ... " .... Hill Mini" .. COIDl)8DV Street and Number Box 37 City or Town: Jstata: Pro.O. Utah Zip Code L Code . I . k$.~/i~~Alfi~~O:~:{j~:~J;;?P.~~t~~!i;~iim'ii!!!:;}jf??h({jJ.::(:\fiHt)~~:{~;(\({};~)~~}{:!f:~?·:\;])<t/~~~:~::;~;{:{:;.:.\)/:~;WW?W.(.':'\~:W/};~· Courthouse, Registry of Deads, Etc: Utah Tax A88esment Records~ Al~ine School District StrHt and Numbar: til City or Town : Zip Coda Provo Appro)( imata Acreage of Nominatad Property : LCode I 43 i .3z e Title of Survey Aacords: Date of Survey : Depository for Survey Aecords : Street and Number: City of Town : Form ,.,SS- I/69/3M Federal I Stat. : o State o County o Local ..S o Zip Code I Code L January 19, 1972 MIner Hi 1} I1lnlng Sox 37 Provo, Utah Co",~ny Dear Sirs: We are pleased to Inform you of the action of the Governor's HIstoric and Cultural Sites R.v~ew t~lttee on January 12, 1972. ThIs C~lttee recommended that the Grave of George Tyn9 In American Fork Canyon be lIsted on the Utah State Register of HistorIc SItes. We will be presentIng you an offIcial Certificate of listing on the State Register and hope that a marker can be placed In the proximity of the property to properly Identify It. ~e ~re enclosing a copy of tbe G~~~nor's ?Tocia~atlon e'tabllshlng the \.Ie aTe happy' tha t th hi recogn ttl on has come to tn Is his· torle site, and we are anxious that Its historical Integrlty be presarved. S-t;a-te- R.9 is ter. If you havo any questions or recormtendatJons, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely yours, Helvln T. Sml th Keeper Utah State Register MTS:ecd Enclo~ure cc: Steve ~ushton Sen.itor D~an Alan Stauffer 0 0 0 0 00 I ~ ~ +.$10 o 1 0 0 0II e 0 q Ie. 3:~Own ar O~ , Date: C:Cons"ruc~ion Data 9 vr ;'3 / 8 Site No. ~ ~ 2 D:5igniticanca . .. -0 ro ,.. STRUCTURE/SITE INFORMATION FORM Street address: .N,.~, #,-// Name of Structure: ~,.q,., . . • ~ ~I~' L ~ 1 Present Owner: ,N,.,-/r,... #,~// N7~ ee,'.v Owner address: I!QX 37 - - ~r~ 0 Construction Date: 1~?J6 Original Use: Present Use: _ Sinq.la-Family _Mllti-Family '_l?\lblic _ CcmIIIrciAl Plat T• Bl. .::l.s . .. Lot R. 3 e. S • ..z/ Tax ~ ~t"() ,.... .;'- #: ... 0 Demolition Date: Occupants: . .... (-.., ,;0 i---- -0 "<! Integrity: Condition: ~~tamd _Mi:lcr Altmati.cns 2(.Sita _Ruins _MajOr Alt:m:atiaw "'" ~ ~"O rt CD '1+C Co' <T !l> g~C en Photography: oata of Slides Views: Fl:aI.t- Sida_ Rea:c.- Otbm:- 1'0 Data of P!x)tco;rai;:Ibs views: Fl:aI.t_ Side- Raar- 0thIIr_ Preliminary Evaluation: A t"' " .'.- -, S ;;"1"'-' -~ . .. _Detar.io:ratlld 0+ t'-J t>J <D UTM: _Vacant -Rellqicus _Otber . f:xrall.,t 0- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 9, ~ 9 I' .~ O~B~ilding 0:.\ ~ 7 -~/-7K 02 o~ 9 Researcher: C · ~ · 7"".x 0': O'! ~ Final Register _ Sign;ficant :x::: _Cont:ibutcxy _ Not O::nt:ibutcxy _ Int::rusicn NaticDal. r~ Natiaaal Raqistar State 9aqlster Stat~s: -District _ MUlti-ae.ouz:t:e _'Ibml.tic o r· Research Sources: o c o Bibliograp~ical o _ _ B~ Encyclcpedias _ _ Obii:uazy Index _ _ COUnty I( City Eiistcries _ _ Perscmal Interviews _ _ Newspapa.tS - - Utah EiistoricaJ. Society _ us 01urcb. Archives Ganaa.lcgicaJ. Societ:'/ . _ 0 of U Librar/ _ s y u IJ.brlu:y ' oro~ _ S I C Lim:uy _us -Otber , o 0 c References: $r E 19 7'"/19 eN ,:1> o o o o _ _ City Directcries _Abstl:acl: of Title _ Plat Reool:ds _ P l a t Map _ Tax card I( P!x)tc _ SUiJJ::li:lq Pemi.t _ Sewer Pet:mit _ saat:cm Maps '. 000 0 000 000 000 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 c . .... Architect/Builder: Building Materials: ,. Building Type/Style: Description of physical appearance & significant architectural features: 7'" Inc:luCe aCditions, al t:eraticns, .mci 11 ary st:J:UctUres, acd l.andScapinq i f applicable 7 ./ ~~~~, $,-,4 ,-. SV~_?/../ ",h~ Statement of Historical Significance: _ Aboriqillal AaericaM _ Aqri.cultw:e _ Architecture _'Ihe Arts _cam.rce _ cammu.c:aticn _ _ _ _ CcInlsEvaticn Educat:i.cn Explont;:ianlSettl.emmt Industry Military · X Mininq _Minority GtQups _ Political -Recreation _Reliqicn _Scienoa _Soci.o-Hum;mitarian _ 'l'J:ansp:lrtaticn THE GRAVE OF GEOIDE TYNG ON MILLER HILL, AMERICAN FORK CANYON George Tyng (pronounced ting) was, according to a family record, of Scottish ancestory. 1 Oren~ial. Many of the local legends claim he was Tyng was actually born in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He was a well educated man, even studying in Hanover Germany. George Tyng was an adventurous young man and spent several years in Cuba and South America where he married a Spanish woman named Elena Carrillo Thompson. Arizona attracted him and he was soon involved in territorial government. Tyng served as a court clerk, a district recorder, a sheriff and even a United States Marshall in the Arizona Territory. Tyng had owned a newspaper, a ranch and was involved in railroad construction. He supervised the construc- tion of a line in Nexico before being driven out by some rebels. It was in Mexico where his son Francis was born. Tyng often took trips to New York to meet great financiers. Somewhere in New York Tyng heard about the Miller Hill in American Fork Canyon. Captured by a mining spirit he brought his son Francis to American Fork in 1901. He hired Joseph Householder to take him up to the mines on an old buckboard. By this time Quaken Aspens had grown up in the old Miller Hill road. For Tyng it was a case of love at first sight. He was not only taken in by the mining possibilities but with the region and the scenery. -22- Tyng soon bought the Kalamazoo claims and leased the old Hiller property from the Hiller Mining and Smelting Company of New York. He put his son Francis in charge of the Wyoming Tunnel and called the whole operation the "Arizona Lease". The work at first was discouraging and very expensive. expending a small fortune, Tyng was ready to give up. After Before going down to American Fork for the last payroll the mine foreman, John H. Howes, asked Tyng for permission to put a shot or two in a seam of iron which was showing on one side of the tunnel. ahead" J replied Tyng, "it can't do any harm." "Go 'While Tyng was gone Howes was excavating a place to put a tie for a mine track and his pick drove into a rich are body. When Tyng returned to the mine a day or two after to J?ay off the men and close the mine be found that the Miller Hill held a fortune. carbonate and it flowed like sand. The ore was a rich soft Theordore Nicholes, who worked for Tyng, said breast boards had to be placed between square sets to keep the are from running and clos ing up the stoop. could sack 350 sacks of this kind of are daily. 'l\ro men Some of the ore was so rich that it was secretly packed over the divide into Alta with an armed guard escourt. the are. Tyng's major problem now was moving Tons of ore was stored in sacks at futchman Flat after being dragged down from the mine on deer skins over the snow. -23- Tyng immediately hurried back to New York to negotiate an extension of his lease with the Miller Mining and Smelting Company. About the s ame time he sent Francis to the Colorado School of Mines to study new methods. Tyng was a liberal spender and a generous employer. paid 75 cents to $1 above the prevailing daily wage. He always High on the Miller Hill looking out over some of the vildest and greatest scener,y in the country, Tyng built a two-story boarding house. He hired some of the best cooks around and people came even from Salt Lake City to the top of the mountain to eat, dance and get a first-hand look at Tyng I s forlune. D.lring the vinter of 1905-1906 the snowf'all was exceptionally heavy. Even thoug,."'1 the avalanche danger was extremely high, the Tyngs worked on, their cabins built on ridges away from known slides. On · January 14, fourteen of Tyng I S ore teams were trapped by a large snovslide. On January 19, just after noon, Tyng was in his cabin office doing paper work when a tremendous cascade of snow swept over the building crushing it to the ground and driving a spike from the ceiling timbers into his skull. By night time his entire crew at the mine finally found him buried beneath 15 feet of snow, a pencil still held in his frozen fingers. The miners stood guard over his body all night to protect it from the wolves, even though a terrific blizzard was raging, partially destroying the shelter shack. -24- The body was hauled down the canyon on a sleigh to American Fork for embalming. in American Fork. real gentleman. His death was a shock and was mourned by many He was well respected and was considered to be a He often helped raise the mortgage on homes endanger- ed with forclosure. Theodore Nichols said that there was not a man on the crew who would not wo~k his head off for the old man. Tyng's friend Jesse Wynne said it was in character that he died with his boots on. When Mrs. Tyng arrived in American Fork several days later the will was opened and read. To everyone t s surprise, Tyng had requested to be buried just below the boarding house on the brow of the Miller Hill, where each night in the SUlIDl1er and fall he had smoked his pipe and gazed out aver the enchanting scenery. was strapped back on a toboggan and pulled up the canyon. January 30, Tyng was finally laid to rest. The body On The family later construct- ed a picket fence around the grave where some of the most beautiful. wildflowers seem to mark the spot • . There is no headstone or markers to identify the old entrepreneur who is resting there. Tyng was an important factor in American Fork history. employed well over 100 men. worth of produce. He Farms sold him hundreds of dollars He refused to contract out supplies so he could give everyone a chance. His ore wagons constantly keep the black- smith shops in business. John Howes, who discovered the ore, was rewarded with a new home in American Fork. -25- Many other earned money to buy their homes by being in TYng's employ. The Arizona lease expired July 15, 1908 after producing 12,000 tons of ore worth well over $870,000. Tyng's grave is accessable by all-wheel drive vehicles, horseback or by hiking. Many people make the trip each year to rununage through the old mine dumps arid to look at the scenery. hunters camp in the area. In the fall The grave is located on private property and may not be preserved if action is not taken by the Historical Society. The picket fence should be maintained and a narative posted nearby. With the increasing mobility and lea sure time we are experiencing, many people will visit the spot in the future. -26- SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON GEOffiE TYNG Beck, Stephen F., "History of American Fork Canyon." Typewritten, n.d., Mr. Beck worked in the canyon and knew George T;yng. James, Laurence P., "George Tyng I s Last Enterprise: A Prominent Texan and a Rich Mine in Utah." Journal of the West, VIII, #3 (July, 1969), 429-427. Includes these references: The Tyng Family in America, privately published genealogy. Dorthy Tyng, personal communication, 1967 (Victoria Texas). Yams Sentinal, January, 1880. u.s. Geological Survey Professional Paper 201; describes the early operations of the Tyng mine in detail. salt Lake Mining ReView, 1902. Western Mineral SUrvey, October 2, 1931. Salt Lake Tribune, January 21, 1906. Mineral SUrvey, Date unknown, found on microfilm, DUP Adams Camp, Film 920, #51-52, Brigham Young University Librar,y. }.tllliner, Kent, "The History of American Fork Mining District." Typewritten, n.d., William Hansen in interview with author, November 22, 1959, at American Fork, utah. Hansen hauled ore for T;yng. Swenson, Ezra, Interview August 6, 1971, Pleasant Grove, Utah. Wootton, John H., "The American Fork Mining District." West Magazine, VII (April, 1916), 36-39. -27- The New Janary 19. 1972 MIII.r HilI Hlnlng Co.pany Box 37 Provo, Utah Dear Sirs: Wa ar. pl ....d Cultura' Slt.s that the Grav. Stat. Reglst.r to Infor.you of the a~tlon of the Govarnor's Historic and R.vlew CGalltta. on January 12, 1972. Thl. c. . ltt•• r.COIIIIended of Georg. Tyn9 In AMerican Fork Canyon b. lilted on the Utah of Historic Slt.s. We will .. pr...ntlng you an official C.rtlflcat. of Listing on the Stat• . k.gllt.rand hope that a .. rker can be p'aced In the proximity of the property to properly Identify It. We ar. enclosing. copy of the Governor'l Procl ... tlon eitablllhing the Stat. Regllt.r. \Jlear. happy that this racogriltlon has c:cae to this historic Itt., and we ar. anxious that Ita historical Int.grltybe preserved. If you have any quastlonl or recoanendatlonl, p'ease feel free to contact us. SI ncerely yours. "'alvin T. Stal th Keeper Utah Stat. Regllt.r "TS:acd Enclolura cc: Stav. Rushton S.nator Dean Alan Stauff.r