The Founding of Coalville City
In the fall of 1858, William H. Smith, a freighter, hauling freight between Salt Lake City
and Fort Bridger, Wyoming drove into the campground on Chalk Creek. He noticed that
where wheat had been spilled it had taken root, grown and ripened. He thought that if
wheat could be grown to maturity it would be a good location for a farm center. At first
the settlement was called Chalk Creek, but after the discovery of Coal, the name was
changed to Coalville.
About the time that William H. Smith was discovering wheat growing in the Chalk Creek area,
Thomas Rhoades, a roving hunter and trapper discovered outcroppings of coal.
He had gone up on a high knoll at what is now known as Skunk's Point, to scan the
countryside for game. He dug out samples of coal with his knife; took them to Salt Lake
City, and presented them to the Mormon Prophet Brigham Young. Brigham Young had
offered a reward of $1,000 to any one finding coal within 50 miles of Salt Lake City.
Nothing seemed to have been done about it until in 1860 Brigham Young sent John Muir
and Sam Fletcher out to investigate the discovery. They were camped in a large Hawthorne
patch at the forks in the Canyon of Chalk Creek. While dressing in the morning, Fletcher
saw a deer. He shot it, but only wounded it. Not wanting to lose it, he called to Muir to
help him trail it. They trailed it over into Grass Creek, and came upon a ledge to rock
standing higher than the surrounding country. Underneath the rock was a vein of coal ten
feet thick. This mine was opened on what is known as Lion's hill by Daniel H. Wells,
Bryant Stringham and Stephen Taylor. It was called Old Church Mine.
Joel Lewis, H.B. Wilde, and Andrew Johnson were the first to open a mine near Coalville in
what is now known as Allen Hollow. Andrew Johnson also opened up a mine at the head of
Spring Hollow. The first mine operated in Spring Hollow was called the Black Diamond
Mine. Another was called the Wasatch. Andrew Johnson sold the mine to W.H. Smith who
later sold it to the Weber Coal Company. This company ran the coal mine for many years
and furnished work for many Coalville residents.
Farmers would work on their farms in the summer and work in the Wasatch or Grass
Creek mines during the winter. In 1868 about the the Allen Hollow mine was opened,
three others were being opened. John Spriggs opened one that ran under the school house
hill and under the town. That mine was abandoned, though relatives still own the Coal.
John Booth opened a mine in Dexter's Hollow south of town. During the early days,
hundreds of tons of coal were hauled mostly by ox teams to Salt Lake City.
On January 16, 1867, the Legislature approved an act incorporating the City of Coalville.
The first Mayor was W.W. Cluff, 1867-1871.
From "Echo of Yesterday" (Compiled by Nellie Frost)