Miners Basin (also known as Miner’s Basin or simply Basin) is a ghost town in Grand County, Utah, high in the La Sal Mountains on the northern end of the range, above Pinhook Draw and the upper reaches of Castle Valley, near Mt. Waas. It sits at roughly 9,300–10,000+ feet elevation in a remote alpine basin of meadows, timber, streams, and harsh winters. Coordinates are approximately 38°32′32″N 109°16′33″W.
The town was short-lived, primarily inhabited from the late 1890s to about 1908, with a peak population of roughly 75–80 people. It is a classic Western mining boom-and-bust site tied to modest gold, copper, and silver discoveries. Much of the roughly 700-acre area is private property today; remnants of log cabins, mine workings, and equipment remain and can be reached via hiking trails (notably the Miner’s Basin to Warner Lake Trail) off a rough 4WD road from the La Sal Mountain Loop Road.
Discovery and Early Prospecting (1888–1890s)
Prospectors, many spilling over from richer finds in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, searched the La Sals for the next big strike after the California Gold Rush era. In 1888, gold-bearing gravel and ore were found on the flanks of Mt. Waas and Green Mountain. A key early deposit between Bachelor Basin and Miners Basin was known as the “High Ore Claim.” Copper was also noted around this time.
Early prospectors included Matt and John Martin, Joseph Burkholder, a Mr. Malloy, and Guss Manville; they did not stay long. The first miners to locate more permanently included Edd Bee Bush, Harry Turner, Murner Fowler, George Hepburn, and William Price. Others, such as Pappy Loutsenhizer (“Pappy Lout”) and Sam McGrew, arrived from Montrose, Colorado, via Castle Valley.
Prospecting remained limited until 1896 (the year of Utah statehood), when the Tornado deposit was discovered in the basin. Activity increased, and the Miners Basin Mining District was formally organized around 1897–1898. The ore was generally low-grade; much of the work was “development work” rather than high-volume production. Minerals associated with the district include gold, copper (chalcopyrite, bornite, azurite), silver, and others in veins and related deposits linked to the area’s laccolithic geology (alkaline igneous intrusions).
Founding and Peak Years (1898–1905)
In 1898 the mining district and operators established a company-style town to house workers close to the claims. About 20 cabins were built that year. Families and individuals who settled included Byron Davis, Sam McCormic, Guss Schmelzer, a Mr. Lotzhauzer and his daughter May, Giddon (Gid) Propper, Clark Akers, the Dillon brothers, Fred McCoy, and others.
At its height (roughly 1896–1905, peaking around 1899), the community had about 75–80 residents. A July 21, 1899, report in the Grand Valley Times noted “12 ladies in camp and 55 men at work prospecting.” Amenities and businesses included:
- Two saloons (one run by the blind Sam McGrew, who could detect short-changing by feel)
- A hotel/boarding house (associated with the Fay family; dances were held there)
- A blacksmith shop
- A post office (Mrs. Sam McGrew was an early postmaster; earlier informal mail was carried from Castleton by Tom Parriott and distributed by locals such as Gid Propper and May Lotzhauzer; a formal route and contract came later, e.g., with Fletcher Hammond in 1904)
- Store, restaurants/eating houses (Lucy Burr was noted in connection with one in 1906)
- Stamp mill (operated by Bob Thomson for crushing ore; ore was packed by burro or later sledded by Henry and Ed Wolf)
Life was informal and rugged. Mining was seasonal—deep snow and extreme cold forced most residents to lower elevations or wage work elsewhere in winter; they returned in summer with grubstakes. Social events included dances (Mart Fish on banjo, Pappy Davis on violin, step-dancing by locals). One Fourth of July gathering of visitors from Moab and Castleton turned unexpectedly snowy. Mining dangers claimed lives: a man was killed by falling rock in the High Ore Mine in 1898, and Fred McCoy died from a missed dynamite shot. Harry Turner and Ed Bee Bush drove a tunnel that hit water and later froze solid, becoming known as the “ice tunnel”; Mesa ranchers later used it for ice.
Nearby Castleton (down the mountain) served as a supply center and also rose and fell with the basin mines. The district produced limited gold, copper, and silver; none of the individual mines were major producers by regional standards.
Decline and Abandonment (1906–1908 and After)
Ore deposits proved limited and low-grade. Activity faded by about 1907 amid exhaustion of accessible ore and the nationwide financial panic of 1907. Most residents left for other towns or mining opportunities. By 1908 only six or seven families remained. The formal town effectively ended as a community.
A few diehards and seasonal users lingered. Sheepherders, cowboys, ranchers, and occasional hunters (including Native Americans) passed through. Gordon Fowler prospected and developed claims starting in 1929; in 1946 he put a crew to work and helped build a road with county aid. He spent the rest of his life there. Later, Cyprus Mines (or Cypress) prospected and mined for three summers before canceling a lease in 1971. William Conner and his wife maintained assessment work and care of property in summers for years, living in an 1898 cabin that has been continuously occupied (with repairs) for decades. Occasional winter residents and geologists also visited. Exploration for deeper porphyry copper or molybdenum targets occurred in later decades but did not lead to major new production.
Present Day
Miners Basin is a quiet ghost town site within the Manti-La Sal National Forest vicinity. Weathered log cabins, mine entrances, rusted equipment, and other remnants are visible. A small pond and trailhead facilities exist at the end of the rough Miner’s Basin Road (Forest Road 0065; high-clearance 4WD recommended). Trails connect toward Warner Lake, Gold Knob, Bachelor Basin, and other points; the area is scenic alpine country with bears and other wildlife present. Access is seasonal due to snow. Much of the historic core remains on private land, so visitors should respect property boundaries and leave artifacts in place.
The site illustrates the typical pattern of late-19th/early-20th-century Western hard-rock mining camps: optimistic rushes based on modest discoveries, brief community life at high elevation under difficult conditions, and rapid abandonment when ores played out and capital or markets failed. Primary sources for its history include local accounts preserved by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers (Grand Memories), period newspapers such as the Grand Valley Times, Stephen L. Carr’s The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns, Moab Museum materials, and articles in Canyon Legacy (including Sena Hauer’s 2004 piece).
Sources drawn from: Wikipedia summary of Miners Basin; Moab Sun News historical features (2021, 2023); Moab Happenings archives; Daughters of Utah Pioneers material reprinted in local papers; U.S. Forest Service trail and site descriptions; Mindat and mining-district geological notes; and related Grand County history references.