Sego, Utah
Posted by: 
linkys
N 39° 02.018 W 109° 42.197
12S E 612234 N 4321309
Built near a coal seam, this town met its end in 1955 because of the conversion from coal to oil by the railroads.
Waymark Code: WMANDY
Location: Utah, United States
Date Posted: 02/03/2011
Views: 7
While most ghost towns in Utah came about because the gold or silver mines closed, with Sego it was all about coal. The town began life in 1908, not as Sego, but as Ballard, named for the original discoverer of the coal seam.
Undergoing several name changes due to changes in ownership of the property as much as anything, in 1918 it became Sego, named for the Sego lily, Utah's state flower. Unfortunately all the name changes couldn't help with the basic problems the mine and the town were facing.
Water problems, a lack of drinking water, and too much rain runoff, made the venture far less profitable than the owners had envisioned. At its height in 20's and 30's, the population of the town was around 200.
Finally in 1955 the mine was closed for good, and many of the houses were moved elsewhere. Today aside from a few dugouts, the stone shell of the company store and some other ruins are all that stands. Unfortunately the wooden boarding house, featured on several sites, has now collapsed, leaving only the floor to mark its outline.
Further information about the town can be found in books and online. Wikipedia has a excellent article, as well as links to several other websites.