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Show OMS No. 1024-0018, NPS Form United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section No. ~ Page Utah Ore Sampling Company Mill, Murray, Salt Lake County, UT ~ The Utah Ore Sampling mill was operated independent of any smelter. It was conveniently situated between two rail lines: Denver & Rio Grande to the West of the mill and the Oregon Short Line track on the east. It was most unique to the United States and sampled ores from around the world throughout its operation. In the sampling process the ore was shipped to the sampling mill in hopper cars, sampled, assayed, then shipped to the smelter for processing. The economic role played by assayers and samplers was very significant to the mining process and success, which makes the mill significant to Utah's rich mining history from 1890s to the 1940s. "During WWII all tungsten ore and concentrates purchased by the government agency in Salt Lake City were sampled through this plant. " 6 The Utah Ore Sampling Company was trusted to assay ores without prejudice by independent mines and mills. Assaying is the process of sampling a load of ore to predict the amount, quality and thus value of product it will yield. It is a crucial step in the mining process and to the prices of the mining product. "Both the producer and the buyer must know the real value of any ore that is to be bought or sold. ,,7 There were many mining companies who had sampling within their operations, but a third-party sampler, independent of mills and processors, was desired to provide a fair and unbiased value of the ore samples. The owners would then know the yield of various metals from those ores accurately enough that the smelter would be scrutinized if it differed from the sample. 8 The Utah Ore Sampling Company played this key roll in the mining industry for mines and smelters around the west and in the world. "At the present time the Utah Ore Sampling Company is the only plant of its kind in the world; that is, an independent sampler that confines its operation to sampling only. " 9 These buildings qualify for the National Historic Register Nomination due to their significant role in Utah's Mining history, their connection to mining magnate Jesse Knight, their age and lack of modification to date. 6 7 8 9 History of Murray History of Murray History of Murray History of Murray City, City, City, City, p. 206, p. 206, p. 206, p. 206, interview with interview with interview with interview with Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Evans Evans Evans Evans (date (date (date (date unknown). unknown). unknown). unknown) . |
