CastleCountryBusinessDirectory.com
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| About Castle Country |
In the beginning the Castle Country territory consisted of one large
county, originally called Emery County. Eventually Emery County was
divided into two separate counties. The new county was named
Carbon County, for the large amount of coal deposits found there.
The pioneers of Castle Country did many things to create a life for
there families. Some farmed the land, some had sheep and cattle
ranches, while others went to work in the coal mines.
In 1881, mormon settler Techum Pratt sold most of his land to the Rio
Grande Railroad, who was looking for a route between Denver and
Salt Lake City. This created a new town that was named Helper after
the locomotives that were needed to push the trains over the steep
mountain grades.
As Helper grew, it attracted immigrants from all over that were looking
to make a better life for their families. Helper became known as the
"Town of 57 varieties" because of the number of different ethnic
groups that called this place home.
Dozens of coal camps sprang up around Helper and outlying areas
near coal deposit locations. In the area known as Spring Canyon,
over 2,000 people lived in six separate camps. Spring Canyon had a
heated pool, and all of the towns had there own schools, there was
even a hospital found in Standardville, one of the largest towns in
Spring Canyon. It was in Castle Gate that Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid along with The Wild Bunch, robbed the Castle Gate
mining offices in 1898.
As transportation became more reliable and coal prices dropped,
these coal camp towns slowly died away as more and more people
moved into the population centers of Helper and Price. Today, all that
remain of the days when coal was king and company-owned towns
were the norm are the ghost town remnants of a time long ago.
Situated high on the mountainside east of Helper, the coal camp town
of Kenilworth was owned by the Independent Coal & Coke Company.
However, Kenilworth is one coal camp town that is still a "living" town,
as there are descendants of the original settlers residing there. The
scenic mountain beauty and history of the area has also enticed new
people to move in and take up residence.
Coal Mining has always been a dangerous occupation and Castle
Country has seen its fair share of disaster. The Winter Quarters
explosion on May 1, 1900, killed 200 men and boys. Winter Quarters
was located just a mile from the town of Scofield and was primarily
settled by immigrants from Finland and Scandinavia.
In 1924, another catastrophic explosion rocked Castle Country when
the Castle Gate Mine ignited in a fireball that killed 171 men. This
explosion left over 100 children without fathers. Today, the cemetery
at Castle Gate is one of the few remains of this historic mining town.
Castle Country has a wide variety of religious, cultural, and
educational opportunities in the area. The people are hard working,
and coal mining has historically been the chief occupation. It is a very
diverse, interesting, and beautiful place to visit.
county, originally called Emery County. Eventually Emery County was
divided into two separate counties. The new county was named
Carbon County, for the large amount of coal deposits found there.
The pioneers of Castle Country did many things to create a life for
there families. Some farmed the land, some had sheep and cattle
ranches, while others went to work in the coal mines.
In 1881, mormon settler Techum Pratt sold most of his land to the Rio
Grande Railroad, who was looking for a route between Denver and
Salt Lake City. This created a new town that was named Helper after
the locomotives that were needed to push the trains over the steep
mountain grades.
As Helper grew, it attracted immigrants from all over that were looking
to make a better life for their families. Helper became known as the
"Town of 57 varieties" because of the number of different ethnic
groups that called this place home.
Dozens of coal camps sprang up around Helper and outlying areas
near coal deposit locations. In the area known as Spring Canyon,
over 2,000 people lived in six separate camps. Spring Canyon had a
heated pool, and all of the towns had there own schools, there was
even a hospital found in Standardville, one of the largest towns in
Spring Canyon. It was in Castle Gate that Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid along with The Wild Bunch, robbed the Castle Gate
mining offices in 1898.
As transportation became more reliable and coal prices dropped,
these coal camp towns slowly died away as more and more people
moved into the population centers of Helper and Price. Today, all that
remain of the days when coal was king and company-owned towns
were the norm are the ghost town remnants of a time long ago.
Situated high on the mountainside east of Helper, the coal camp town
of Kenilworth was owned by the Independent Coal & Coke Company.
However, Kenilworth is one coal camp town that is still a "living" town,
as there are descendants of the original settlers residing there. The
scenic mountain beauty and history of the area has also enticed new
people to move in and take up residence.
Coal Mining has always been a dangerous occupation and Castle
Country has seen its fair share of disaster. The Winter Quarters
explosion on May 1, 1900, killed 200 men and boys. Winter Quarters
was located just a mile from the town of Scofield and was primarily
settled by immigrants from Finland and Scandinavia.
In 1924, another catastrophic explosion rocked Castle Country when
the Castle Gate Mine ignited in a fireball that killed 171 men. This
explosion left over 100 children without fathers. Today, the cemetery
at Castle Gate is one of the few remains of this historic mining town.
Castle Country has a wide variety of religious, cultural, and
educational opportunities in the area. The people are hard working,
and coal mining has historically been the chief occupation. It is a very
diverse, interesting, and beautiful place to visit.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Copyright 2009 M2M Marketing, LLC., All rights reserved. | CastleCountryBusinessDirectory Website by: M2M Marketing, LLC
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |