EUREKA!!! An exclamation of joy or satisfaction at finding or discovering something and as such Eureka, Utah is perfectly named since we were delighted at discovering this little town in Juab County. The fact that I grew up in this state and had never heard or been to Eureka or the surrounding Tintic Mining District should be an embarrassment to the Utah Travel Council as this area is, well excuse the pun, a real gold mine! Our first visit to Eureka, started as a hunt to ride our ATV’s through an old train tunnel that I had seen on the internet but turned in to an exciting discovery, Eureka!
Located southwest of Utah Lake on Highway 6, Eureka and the Tintic Mining District was first settled by Mormon settlers who soon realized the mineral wealth the area beneath their feet held. However, Brigham Young, the Mormon Church President at the time, encouraged the settlers to focus on agricultural production to meet their physical needs for food, clothing and shelter and to not waste their valuable time in the pursuit of earthly wealth. Additionally, Brigham Young felt that mining invited an undesirable element in to their Zion community (think Ute fans attending a game at BYU stadium) and therefore encouraged the settlers to keep the mineral discoveries in the area a secret.
According to Roadside History of Utah by Cynthia Bennett (a must have reference for anyone Discovering Life in Utah) a man named Shadrack Lunt discovered silver near Eureka. He reported his find to his bishop (the leader of a local Mormon congregation) who went to Brigham Young for guidance. The church president advised against mining and Shadrack Lunt obediently followed his church leader’s advice and continued with his farming activities and never profited from the immense wealth that those who did not follow the prophet’s advice would soon gain (thus becoming the first official Utahn to miss out on the Mega Lottery winnings).
In 1869 a cowboy and some local farmers looking for firewood independently discovered silver at the surface of the hills around Eureka and the rush was on! The Eureka Hill mine was opened in 1870 and Eureka soon became home to three other major mining operations, The Bullion Beck and Champion Mine, The Centennial Eureka Mine and the Gemini Mine the remains of which can still be seen today.
The introduction of all of these mines and the more than $100 Million in precious ore (a lot of money in the 1800s) required the establishment of a financial center in Eureka and the town soon grew to over 3000 people rivaling even Salt Lake City in its importance. Soon multiple railway lines were created to support the mines and these rail beds and tunnels can still be explored today. Unfortunately, by the late 1930’s the major mines began to shut down and the town of Eureka and the surrounding areas began their long decay into the ghost towns and delapitated buildings that can be found today. However, its very historical past is what makes the Eureka of today so much fun to explore. One can’t help but walk through town today and relive the mining past that gives this town so much character while at the same time hoping that this little town of less than a thousand people might one day find renewed life through its past history.
Eureka is very popular with motorcycle enthusiasts who flock to the town in summer to enjoy the newly opened Tintic Motorcycle Works and Museum and to partake of the food at Porter’s Place Restaurant. The town and mining district are also popular with off-road enthusiasts and ATV’s and Side-By-Sides can be seen riding through town exploring the many abandoned mines, smelters, rail tunnels, and BeUtahful scenery of the area. This is truly a town where people from all rides of life come together in the spirit of discovery that defines LIFE in Utah.
What to Do
Mines, mines, mines!!! Eureka is in the center of the Tintic Historical Mining District so there are old abandoned mines, abandoned mining equipment, and even some old miners (who may or may not have been abandoned). The place to start though is the Tintic Mining Museum and the Tintic Motorcycle Works and Museum in downtown (I use that term loosely) Eureka. This is a great place to learn about the history of the area before you go exploring. You will see models of the mines that you will see as well as displays of the different minerals that have been and still are mined in the area today.
Tintic Mining Museum
The volunteers at the museum have a true love of the history of the area and are eager to share their history with their visitors. My family was amazed as one of the volunteers showed how the miner’s lights were operated prior to the founding of electricity. He put small pieces of carbide rock in a canister and then poured water in a container on the top of the canister. He then made a small adjustment to a valve to allow the water to begin dripping onto the carbide rock causing a chemical reaction which produced methane gas. The methane gas would then escape through the hole in the headlamp. The headlamp itself had a striker on it. The volunteer then demonstrated how the miners would light their headlamp by holding his hand over the hole trapping the methane gas and then with a quick downward movement of his hand he hit the striker and the methane exploded and then continued to burn in the headlamp as the chemical reaction continued. Make sure you check the hours of operation before going to make sure the museum is open as it was well worth the visit. The museum itself takes about 30 minutes to visit and admission is FREE although donations are welcome and vital to preserving this piece of Utah history.
Porter Rockwell Cabin
Outlaw or Lawman? For those unfamiliar with Porter Rockwell he was Joseph Smith’s (founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) bodyguard and one of Utah’s most colorful figures. Part outlaw and part Defender of the Faith, nobody is really sure what percentage of each he was. Nicknamed “the Destroying Angel”, Porter Rockwell was one of the very first members of the Church and fiercely loyal to both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Known as an expert gunfighter, Porter Rockwell was accused of shooting Governor Lilburn Boggs, the former Missouri Governor who was responsible for the Extermination Order, which authorized the violent treatment of Mormons in Missouri and declared Mormons an enemy of the state to be exterminated or driven from the state. Denying any involvement and pleading innocence by declaring “I never shot at anybody, if I shoot they get shot!” a Grand jury could not find enough evidence to indict Rockwell although rumors have continued that Rockwell was the shooter. Rockwell eventually served as a Deputy US Marshall in Salt Lake City and remained faithful in the church to his death. Although not originally from Eureka, Porter Rockwell’s cabin was moved from Cherry Creek (west of Little Sahara Recreation Area) to Eureka and is open for tours. The cabin is directly across the street from the Tintic Mining Museum and the cost is FREE although donations are accepted and encouraged. The tour only takes 5 minutes but is a beautiful display of early Utah pioneer living conditions.
Tintic Motorcycle Works and Museum
Eureka is the Sturgis of Utah. We have not been to Eureka on a Saturday afternoon in the summer and not run into large groups of bikers there to enjoy all that Eureka has to offer. But what really pulls the bikers to Eureka is the newly opened Tintic Motorcycle Works and Museum in the old renovated Post Office Building. This museum is a labor of love between “Chopper Gary” and Candace Seabron who have completely renovated the old Post Office to house their collection of antique motorcycles. When we were there the museum had just opened and large groups of motorcyclists were flocking to see these old hogs. We enjoyed talking with Candace as she explained all the work that went into the restoration of both the bikes and the building. The building itself was very unique in that it has secret areas where the postal inspectors could secretly climb into to watch the postal workers sort the mail to make sure they were not stealing the mail (or shooting their fellow postal workers). Candace told us they have plans to convert one of these areas into a B&B so that you can stay the night in the museum and sleep in these old observation areas which makes for a very unique stay. They also will soon have a coffee shop with baked goods open as part of the museum as well. “Chopper Gary” has also purchased some of the old buildings in Eureka with the intent to eventually restore or improve the main street area. And here is the really neat part, the admission to this museum is FREE as this is completely a labor of love by Gary and Candace to share their passion for motorcycles with the world! Gary and Candace epitomize the BeUtahful people who make our state great. The museum takes about 10 -30 minutes depending on your love and appreciation of motorcycles.
Main Street and the City Jail
Go back to yesteryear exploring downtown Eureka. Although many of the building are abandoned just wandering along the main street (Hwy 6) is an experience. Visit the City Offices and peer in at the old fire engine in the fire station and make sure to go around back and explore the old city jail and plan your own jail break. You’ll want to explore the old signs painted on the buildings and visit the building that housed the second JC Penny in the country. If you’re a biker, Tintic Hills Motor Clothes Emporium Vapes and Tobacco shop has everything you need to join a biker gang (excluding the bike, guns, chains and the hootchie momma in the tube top!).
Eureka Cemetery
Do not miss a visit to the Eureka City Cemetery. This is one of the classic old west cemeteries and should not be missed. The cemetery is located just west of town off Hwy 6 and is worth the visit. The headstones date back to Eureka’s beginnings and many locations have just slivers of the old wooden headstones marking the gravesite. Conjure up ghosts from whatever era you desire and imagine what life in Eureka would have been like for each of them. The cemetery is accessible by car, bike, horse, foot, broomstick or ATV/UTV and you won’t be out of place on any of them.
Mines
Eureka was and is home to multiple mining companies so “there is mines in them thar hills!” From the moment you enter town from the West on Hwy 6 you know this is a mining town as you pass the headframe of the Bullion Beck and Champion mining company. The headframe is a large wooden structure that was set over the mine entrance and used to raise and lower the equipment and personnel into the mine. Just about every direction you can go in Eureka there are the remains of an old mine or the activity of a current mining operation. Our favorite mine to visit is the old headframe on the hill on the southern side of town. The old headframe still stands; dangling the cars that the miners would stand in before being lowered and swallowed up in the dark earth as they descended into the gaping mouth of the mine shaft. Old machinery, equipment and buildings are still visible and provide great opportunity for exploration! Just a caution to be careful as the structures may be unstable and the shafts (although covered with grating) still pose a risk for injury. Many of the old mines are accessible by car and even more are accessible via high clearance or off-road vehicles and ATVs/UTVs. There are many published trail systems for exploring mining areas around Eureka and the Tintic Historic Mining District. Link to Trail Maps.
Off Roading
Eureka and the surrounding area is one of our favorite places to ride because there are so many places to explore. One of the pictures in the mining museum shows Eureka in its heyday and shows five different railways on the mountains above Eureka. Well many of those rail beds are still there and make for good trails for exploring. One of the best known features to explore is the old abandoned train tunnel on the Eureka/Elberta slant. The trail to the tunnel is not well marked but since it is an old rail bed it is not a difficult ride to tunnel and it is a lot of fun to stop in the cool tunnel in the heat of the day and rest a little. Kids and adults alike all enjoy the ride unusual chance to ride through a train tunnel and it is large enough for Jeeps and other off road vehicles as well. Also north of the tunnel is the Chimney Rock Pass that has multiple riding trails of all difficulty levels (believe me I rolled my brand new ATV here) to get out and play if exploring hasn’t consumed your whole day. Again there are many published trail system maps for the area so go out and Discover Life! Link to Trail Maps.
Where to Eat-Porter’s Place
If you are going to Eureka don’t bother packing a lunch because you have to eat at Porter’s Place. Located on Hwy 6 in Eureka this is a really fun place to eat with a menu right out of Sunday School. With items on the menu that include the Brigham Burger, Apostles Choice, the Prophet’s Plate and the Seventy Special. For those less religiously inclined with your food choices they offer the Miner’s Delight, the Claim Jumper and the Cedar Valley Sandwich. And if those choices don’t get you look at the drink menu which includes Wild Delerium, Rattlesnake Venom, Nitroglycerin and Firewater just to name a few and in true Utah fashion they are all non-alcoholic so you’re safe to drive home after.
Where to Stay
If you plan to stay in Eureka your choices are somewhat limited. Tintic Motorcycle Works and Museum has future plans for a bed and breakfast in the museum and there is the Tintic Goldminer’s Bed and Breakfast in town but neither were taking reservations when we were there. There are areas for dry camping around but the best location we found to stay was Vernon Reservoir but it can get crowded on the weekends.
Conclusion
Eureka may have had its better days but as its name implies, it is still an extraordinary find! The history of this town is unparalleled and the effort that the community has put into maintaining that history should be applauded and appreciated by all. Every Utahn should make a visit to this small town to better understand our mining heritage, even if Brigham Young would not approve!
Eureka can be explored in just a few hours or over several days by exploring the many off road trails the area has to offer. This area is without a doubt one of our favorite places to ride and explore. This is a great one day trip by car or several day trip if combined with camping and exploring in this unique area and if you are a motorcycle buff this is a fantastic ride!
This is one of those uniquely historical areas that reminds us that:
Life in Utah is a Wanderful life!
