Scofield 1900 and Castle Gate 1924: Utah's Worst Mining Disasters

Two coal mine explosions in Carbon County, 24 years apart, killed more than 370 men and boys and are still the deadliest disasters in Utah's recorded history. Carbon County is about 90 miles from Provo over Soldier Summit, and the story reaches Utah Valley in small ways: Utah State History says men from Provo helped dig graves at Scofield. This page summarizes what the state's history offices say, and it flags where their accounts differ.

Quick facts

Scofield, 1900

Utah's History to Go says the No. 4 mine at Scofield exploded at 10:28 a.m. on May 1, 1900, and describes it as the worst American mine disaster up to that point. Many residents first took the blast for early fireworks for a local holiday, the page says. Superintendent T. J. Parmley organized a rescue team, and clearing the entrance took nearly 20 minutes. The page says some trapped miners were still alive but suffocating from gas, and that men in the connected No. 1 shaft were also dying from toxic fumes.

Utah State History's I Love History page says "200 or more men and boys" died, some from the blast and others from poisonous gas. It adds that volunteers washed and clothed the bodies, 200 coffins arrived by train, and men from Provo helped dig graves. History to Go reports a Lutheran service for 61 Finnish victims and an LDS service on May 5, and services in other towns across the state.

Cause and blame

The two Utah State History pages differ. I Love History says coal dust likely caused the explosion, that the company did not wet the dust down enough, and that a dynamite charge ignited it. History to Go says many people felt operators had not followed proper safety procedures but that state officials cleared them. We repeat both because neither page settles it.

Aftermath

I Love History says the government never helped the victims' families, communities across Utah raised money for widows, and after the families sued, the company agreed to pay burial costs and give each widow $500. It says mining companies began training first-aid squads, strikers pushed for better safety and pay, and that state and federal governments began regulating coal mines, though "change was slow." History to Go says the Pleasant Valley Coal Company kept operating until 1923 and that Scofield later became a ghost town.

Castle Gate, 1924

Utah's History to Go says two explosions hit the Utah Fuel Company's Number Two mine at Castle Gate at about 8 a.m. on March 8, 1924, and that none of the miners inside survived. It lists the 172 dead as 49 Greeks, 22 Italians, 8 Japanese, 7 English, 6 Austrians (Yugoslavs), 2 Scots, 1 Belgian and 76 Americans, including two African Americans. Those figures add to 171. The page says the 172nd death was a rescuer who "inadvertently inhaled deadly carbon monoxide during the rescue efforts."

Cause

History to Go points to inadequate watering down of coal dust from the previous shift, combined with open flames from workers' headlamps. The Utah State Archives says a headlamp ignited methane gas and started a chain reaction. Both agree on the headlamp. They differ on the fuel.

Relief for families

The Utah State Archives says the disaster left 110 widows and 264 dependent children. It says Governor Charles Mabey called for public donations and named nine prominent Carbon County businessmen and citizens to oversee them, and that the committee hired social worker Annie Palmer to keep in contact with the widows. It reports the committee first met April 30, 1924, and held its last meeting February 12, 1936. The Archives holds the Castle Gate Relief Fund Committee records, including case files, correspondence, financial statements, minutes and reports.

The dollar figure differs by source. The Archives page says donations raised $112,000. History to Go says the committee distributed $132,445.13 raised from the public for 417 people. We could not tell from the pages why the figures differ, so we give both.

Remembering them

History to Go says a granite and bronze monument in the canyon north of Helper marks the general site of the Castle Gate accident, and that many victims lie in the Castle Gate cemetery east of the canyon. It says signs of the Scofield explosion remain at the old No. 4 mine opening. We did not find opening hours or access rules for any of these places. Call Carbon County or check its official site before you plan a stop, and treat them as memorials and cemeteries, not as attractions.

How it connects to Utah Valley

Utah's coal helped power the early industry along the Wasatch Front, and Utah Valley's own industrial story is in our Geneva Steel history. The people who built and paid for that economy arrived from many countries, which A Short History of Provo touches on. Water, not coal, set the limits on the valley itself; see the water wars. If you are driving that way, our Nine Mile Canyon, Helper and Price guide covers the trip, and the Scofield Reservoir guide covers the lake just outside the old townsite.

Related on Provo.com

• The Water Wars: Utah Lake, Strawberry, the Central Utah Project, and Who Owns the River
• Geneva Steel history
• A Short History of Provo
• Nine Mile Canyon, Helper and Price from Provo
• Scofield Reservoir and Skyline Drive from Provo

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