| Description |
Gilsonite miners have worked their shift at the Black Dragon Mine. Their black faces show how dirty the mining industry can be. Picks were used to mine the ore in 1908 when this photo was taken. Veins of Gilsonite were mined throughout the southern part of Uintah County. Gilsonite is a hydrocarbon that looks like coal but is not used for heating or fuel, and is sometimes referred to as asphalt or asphaltum. A partial list of products manufactured with is versatile material would include: asphalt floor tile, coated building papers, roofing materials, felt-base floor covering, sound-proofing and insulating compounds for the automotive industry, electrical insulating varnish, acid and alkali resisting paints and other types of protective coatings, battery boxes, brake and clutch linings, tubing, rotogravure and printing inks, rope and cable lubricants, mineral wool binder, military flares, fingerprint powders and oil well cement and drilling muds. (The Uintah Railway-Henry E. Bender-204) (This appears to be a clearer photo than photo 1017, both are available on the website and at the Regional History Center.) |
