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Show THE HISTORY BLAZER ArEJI'S OF UTAH'S PAST FROM THE Utah State Historical Society 300 Rio Grande Salt Lake City. PT 84101 ( 801) 533- 3500 FAX ( 801) 533- 3503 Iron Mission Remains Part of Utah's Industrial Heritage IN 1949 BRIGHAM YOUNG COMMISSIONED the Southern Exploring Company, captained by Parley P. Pratt, to investigate the region south of Salt Lake City and give an account of its resources, topography, and favorable locations for settlement. Among the discoveries of the party was " a hill of the richest iron oren later named Iron Mountain, near present day Cedar City. In response to this report, and as part of his efforts to create an economically self- sufficient empire, Young called a group of " iron missionaries" to move south and develop that industry in July 1850. The original group of 167 persons first settled in Parowan and used that town as a base from which to establish the necessary facilities to produce iron. In November 185 1, 35 men skilled in mining and manufacturing began laying out the village of Cedar City 20 miles south of Parowan. They erected a fort, dug a canal, planted crops, constructed roads to coal deposits, and located materials to build a blast furnace. By September of the following year the industrious colonizers had produced their first iron-- enough to cast a pair of andirons ( commonly known as " dog ironsn) and to make sufficient nails to shoe a horse. This early success, though small, bolstered Young's confidence in the effort and prompted him to reinforce the Iron Mission with manpower and capital. The Deseret Iron Company was subsequently organized in 1852 and was largely funded by wealthy European church members who were solicited to buy stock. In addition, skilled iron workers, coal miners, and blacksmiths were recruited in Britain and Sweden from among converts to Mormonism and asked to immigrate to " Zion" and apply their expertise in the Iron Mission. Throughout the winter of 1852- 53 workers busily constructed an air furnace and a frame casting house and gathered large quantities of pine and charcoal to bum. In March 1853 the iron missionaries' efforts were rewarded with 2,500 pounds of iron. The vast amounts of charcoal required to produce the iron proved expensive, however, and the company tumed to coal mining as a solution. James A. Little and Philip K. Smith, after exploring for several days, found a rich vein of coal that extended for several miles. With this fuel source readily available, future prospects for the Iron Mission looked bright. Nevertheless, several unmanageable events soon dimmed the optimistic outlook. In July 1853 iron operations were suspended while colonists made preparations to defend themselves against Indian attacks due to the outbreak of the Walker War. Then, in September, a devastating flood roared down Coal Creek scattering huge boulders in its path and destroying bridges and dams. Water at the iron works site rose to a depth of three feet and large amounts of charcoal and lumber were carried downstream. ( more) Undaunted, workers rebuilt and by 1855 had completed a 21- foot square furnace and four large coke ovens. They produced up to 1,700 pounds of iron in a single day. Regardless, difficulties again overshadowed these accomplishments. Cold weather in the winter of 1855- 56 hampered progress, and in 1857 iron missionaries were again forced to suspend operations due to the impending " Utah War." More important in the long run, however, the earnest colonists lacked the appropriate resources and technology for long- term success. Researchers in the 1980s who examined bricks from the furnace lining determined that they could not withstand the high temperatures generated by the blast furnace. Bricks uncovered at the site showed evidence of melting and spalling, serious problems that would have made sustained iron- making difficult if not impossible. In 1858 two unsuccessful furnace blastings finally signaled an end to the Iron Mission and the dissolution of the Deseret Iron Company. After nearly ten years of labor and the expenditure of $ 150,000 only a few andirons, kitchen utensils, flat irons, wagon wheels, and machine castings existed to testify of the missionaries' valiant struggle to produce iron in Utah. Sources: Moms A. Shirts and William T. Parry, " The Demise of the Deseret Iron Company: Failure of the Brick Furnace Lining Technology," Utah Historical Quarterly 56 ( Winter 1988); Leonard J. Anington, " Iron Manufacturing in Southern Utah in the Early 1880' s: The Iron Manufacturing Company of Utah," Bulletin of the Business Historical Society 25 ( September 1951); Milton R. Hunter, Brigham Young the Colonizer ( Salt Lake City: Peregrine Smith, 1973). THE J~ STORY BLAZER is produced by the Utah State Historical Society and funded in part by a grant from the Utah Statehood Centennial Commission. For more information about the Historical Society telephone 533- 3500. % I215 ( PR) |
