Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 1962 An Historical Study of the Koyle Relief Mine, 1894-1962 James R. Christianson Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the History Commons, Mormon Studies Commons, and the Sociology Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Christianson, James R., "An Historical Study of the Koyle Relief Mine, 1894-1962" (1962). Theses and Dissertations. 4598. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4598 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. faf3 AN historical STUDYSTTJDY OF THE KOYLE RELIEF mineoMINE lq189419621894 1962 A thesis presented to the faultyfac altyulty of the department of history Brigbrighainbrighajnhainhajn young university in partiapartial fulfillment of the requirements for trie degree master of arts by james Ppo christiansc istiansonon janejuneaunejumeaume 1962.1962 acknowledgments the writer is deepdeeplyy grateful tobo the numerous sources of encouragement information and careful criticism which have contributed to the preparation and completion of this work of speciaspecial1 mention are the contributionsontribut ionslons of the writers advisory committee consisting of eugene Eeo campbell and gu- stive 000oo larsonlamsonlarsonolarsuno their clarifying suggestions have done much to improve the scholarship of this studiostudystudyo ibethetherhe unqualified cooperation of numerous koyle mining company representatives office personnel of the latter day saint church library and the utah state securities commission is both respected and appreciated the early corrections of mrs mary cornaby the wwritersriters high school english teacher were of great value as an original soursouresourcee of 4inspiration at thenohe time this project was undertaken dutinedurineutinguringdaringduring the spring of 1957 he also expresses appreciation to a helpful and under- standing wife as veliweweliveilveliwell11 as to spveralseveralverai patient qualified typisttypiststypistsoso illlit111 TABLE OF CONIENTSCONTENTS page acknowledgments 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 iii LIST OF iuustratronstlljstratrons 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 vi chapter 10 iclo INTRODUCintroductionTI ON 00 00 0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 statement of the problem jxstifijustiflationatlon of problem extent of previtlpreviolpreviousis research sources used arrangement of chapters II11 0 THE HISTORY OF THE KOYLE RELIEF MINE TO 1949 INCLUDING perlinperrinPERTINPERTINENTFYr FACTS FROM THE LIFE OF JOHN HYRUM KOYLE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 6 ancestry and earlyearby life of john hyrenhyrwnhyruro koyle early interest in the supernatural the dreldrewdream of 1894 189418941914i914 191419261914 1926 the platinum boom 192919491929 1949 the long years CHURCH TO THE MINE 0 0 0 0 4040 tilTIIiiiodiio opposition 0 0 0 0 the latter day saint church and the koyle relief mine yaneyune ivoIV 0 government opposition TO THE MINEmune 00 00 0 6060 V 0 THE KOYLE RELIEF MINE IFIN THE LIGHT OF MORMON FOIXIOREFOLKLORE 00 0 00 0 00 00 0 00 0 00 00 00 0 788 summary VIvioL RELATED MINING VENTURES 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 89 sizmarsujnmalyy ivIV TABLE OF CONTENTS continuedonti nued VII 0 THE KOYLE RELIEF MINENUNE AND THE ORDER OF AARON 0a 00 00 00 00 00 0 0a 0 0 00 00 0 00 0 100 the aaroniaarona order andor the order of aaron teachings peculiar to the order of aaron the dreandream min an appendage to the order of aaron summary THE KOYLE 0 vilVIIVIIIjo RELIEF KNEMINE 1991949 too 19621962 0 0 0 0 0 0 1133 ixoIXcixo conclusions 0 0 0 0 0 0 0a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 121 apparent incortsisinconsispniest eniesenles in the dream mine story 1 assay reports 2 early ProductproductionJondon 3 purpose of the mine 4 signifsigniasignificanceicanceacance of thehe originalorlOrigiral shaft 5 when and brby whom should the mine produce 6 ciscelmiscelmiscellaneouslaneous 7retrieritreeniare Drdreameairlearri Mminene kran outgrowth of mormon culture 1ti1 RrpvelalienPve 1.1 aticn 2 wealth boldgeldgold mines john ho koyekoyle irieiciethe lifeline c-cff the dream mine summaryy bibliography 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16146 APPENDIX 00 00 0 0 e 0 00 0 00 00 00 00 00 00 0 00 60 0 00 00 0 00 0 150 ABSTRACT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1751712 v LIST OF illustrations figure page 1lo10 the dream mine mill 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 vii 220 john hyrum koyle 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 00 00 0 5aaa 330 the mountain where the mine is located 0 10150 440 A sketch cfof the envisioned and actual 151 workings of the koyle mining company 0 vi 1& trethyteytegTRZTHE ORBAYDREAM UIHBMINE MILL CITAPIERCHAPTER TY introduction it cascades down the mountain side angangularllarliaralar and modern A temple to manusonmanunonmaznmon such as you may see in the industrial districts of any american city but here on the bleak slopesiopeof utah valley to the east on Uuo S 91 tthisnishissmokeless smelter lonely and majestic seems not in L keeping with its surroundings I1 statementStatem nt of problem for many pearsyearsear person tkavctravchrallngling on Uue Sso highway 91 through southern utah county or U Sso highway 89 near spanish fork canyon have observed an imposing white edifice situated on the mountain side about two miles east of the vilviivillagelage of salem many perhaps have ronaonwonderediondered at the significance of this structure the winding mountain ascending road above it and the few buildings slsurgroundingxroundingrounding ititeito if an opportunity for inquiry had occurred the travelers would likely havenave beer tid that the objects of their curi- osity were the external evidences of john kayteskbyteskoylevs dream minemineo there wculdwould then follow a ratherrattiermathermattlermathier garbled hearsay aoaciountaccountauntount of the mine its founder and its purpose 2 since tneane authauthorDr found thetneane above possibipossibility1 ity to be far more real than fiction it was detedeterminedrtrined ihrougntrirougn this stadystudy tcto bring into a reason- able whole as far as they carcan be astertainedascertainedpertainedertained the facts of the history of thetae koylekeykoyie relief mineningmineoming austin fife and a-altaaitaa fife saints of sagebrush and saddle bloombloom- ington indianaurllindiana unio pre-presss i9161916l956pp7pa 22819 1 thernephepne authauthorr grew up in a dream mine conscious environment and at an early age noted that many people knew something about therhe mine but few knew wery 1 vague very much and what thethevchevI did knoinovknov was and uncertainuncertainouncertaino 2 justification of the problem it Is felt that such an undertaking is both worthwhile and neces- sary As the years pass less and less of the original story will be remembered and eventually the facts of an interesting if not significant event in utah history will be j rretnevablyjrretrievab1y lost in justification of this study as a serious topic for a thesis re- quiquirementrement may it be said that the writing of history is not a matter of picking and choosingchoochoosingosingo history shouldshouid be recorded as far as possible exactly as it occurredoccurredooccurredo Historaihistoric events which ttouo asus appear to be neither realistic nor true were perhaps very realistic and very true to those who experienced themtherrio strip history of its minor incidents and you have a colorless often unrelated seriesserlesseraisseraes of events which fail to relay to the students mind either an understandingundertnderstandingstanding or an appreciation of hishistoryhistorystorys significancesignificancessignificanceo of serioussenous note is tlethe fact that the livesilves and property of a great 3 many persons almostai nostmost all of wnomwenom are or have beelbeerbeen members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints 9 have been profoundly effected by the mine and its founder it is felt that since this program has been 3sincesince the purpose of the mine as is discussed later was to benefit the church of jesus christ of lattlattererdayer day sairsseirssaints original stock salessades were made to nutchhurch members onixonlyorjlye in time a small number of non members and a few apostates of this chchurcnchuranurch obtained shares from individual stockholders 4interviewinterview with mrsarsomrso elseiselsieeisiee kaylekoyle july 4 1960 a daughter in2 n lavlaw of john Hho koyle and secretary of the koylekeykoyie mining company for many years MY mrsMYss 9 do many members koyle claims 1 as others that over 6000 of the above- mentioned church hav nadriad some direct association withluhith the minemineo 3 I1 fully guca .1 ablebieableabie to successfullysuocessfullysuccess fuiful ly attract ardandaraana holdd suchsuea a large1 body of devout stock- holders adand do so in tdetneane face of organiorganizedi zed opposition from both the harchhurchhurehcharchchurch and state itir is surely worthy of greater attentionI1 titan the casual and often stainfuLdistainfuldisdainfuldi treatment accorded it thus farfarofamo extent of previous research with the exception of a few brief articles no serious history of the mine had been ratenwrittenr aten uniunt loilow july 1981958 9 when some two hundred copies of the dream mine story by norman C pleice5pierce were circulated in mime- ographed formformoyorm this is a reminiscent account of the life of john Hho koyle