top of page
Writer's picturethelineinfo

Sister Cities: Mammoth and Eureka

Updated: Dec 3, 2024


Abandoned power station in Eureka, Utah.

Photographs by Jacob Rueda


Part 1: MAMMOTH AND EUREKA


The name Mammoth conjures an image of magnanimity. After all, mammoths were huge beasts that roamed the earth long before modern elephants did. What the name Mammoth may not immediately conjure is the image of a small, hidden, and unincorporated mountain community.


Mammoth, Utah is situated in Juab (pronounced JOO-AB) County about 80 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. It is nestled in the aptly-named Mammoth Mountains at over 6500 feet in elevation. The nearest town is Eureka, which is just six minutes away on the other side of the mountain.


In the summer, the area is lush with vegetation. Yellow roses scatter the countryside. For anyone who loves nature and is willing to brave being in it, it is a beautiful place.


The proximity between Mammoth and Eureka is such that they have a few things in common, Both were founded around the same time in 1870. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the area is rich in lead, zinc, silver, copper, and gold.


The mines in Mammoth and nearby Eureka are as scattered as the wild yellow roses of the fields. Some of the mines are privately owned while others are operated by mining companies like Kennecott, an Alaskan company that is now part of the multinational Rio Tinto Corporation.


Because of how rich the mountains are with minerals, people rushed to the area in the mid to late 1800s and established Eureka and Mammoth. Other towns like Silver City and Knightsville popped up around them. However, they have long been abandoned and exist only in ruin.


At its peak during the turn of the 20th century, Mammoth had 3000 people living in it. A series of events after that led to a population decline. By 1929, the town was no longer incorporated.


Despite the homes and people who now live in Mammoth, it is considered a part ghost-town. Nearby ruins of old building foundations and abandoned mines sit exposed to the elements.


The ruins give the impression of an ancient and long forgotten civilization that archeologists would spend years of scholarly devotion to study.



Ruins of abandoned mining operations in Silver City, Utah.

Silver City ruins.


Eureka’s fate is a bit different. It too experienced a boom and it too experienced a drop in population. However, Eureka is bigger than Mammoth and has managed to retain a level of vitality throughout the years.


Many of the old buildings along the Historic Mining District are still in use. Businesses like Black Hollow Fever, a shop specializing in art and various oddities for sale, and the Cast Iron Bistro, an eatery on the southeast end of town, established themselves along Highway 6, the main corridor of town.


Some of the old buildings were repurposed and given a second life. The Tintic Motorcycle Museum is where the old post office once was. The Gatley Building, once a bank, is now a rock and souvenir shop. There is also a hardware store and a general store complete with a coffee shop in the back.


Meanwhile, other buildings lay in ruin, some with their roofs caved in due to weather erosion or some other factor. Still, others are intact but lay abandoned, for now at least. There are plans to restore some of them, but it will be a while before that can happen.


Porter Rockwell, the infamous bodyguard (or henchman, take your pick) of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and later Brigham Young, the first “prophet” of said church, had a small cabin in Eureka which is now preserved.


Behind the old buildings on the main road are homes. Some of them are newer homes built within the last five to ten years. Others have been around roughly 40 to 100 years or more .


Finally, just outside of town on the eastern end is a gas station and B’s Hangout, a place to get burgers and fries. Surrounding Eureka are the Tintic Mountains, which are named after Chief Tintic of the Goshute Tribe.


Part 2: A FAMILY MOVES


Back in Mammoth, the homes are laid out in no particular fashion. In its heyday during the late 1800s and early 1900s, clusters of houses sat at the base of the mountains. Today, only a few homes remain from the many that once stood.


In places like Mammoth, residency can be generational, being that the area was once home to a booming mining industry. Other times, people can end up there by circumstance, necessity, or luck, depending on how one sees it.


Meanwhile, for others, they land there because it is their destiny to live there.


“We went for a drive one time as a family,” said Kathy Fulton, 70, a resident of Mammoth who used to live in a town 55 miles north called Tooele (pronounced TOO-EL-UH).


“I saw a sign that said ‘Mammoth’ and I thought, man, I’ve never heard of that,” she said. After seeing the sign, Kathy decided to take a drive to see what it was like. When she got there, she spoke to someone who told her of a property that was for sale.


She bought the property. However, not everyone in her family was excited about the prospect of living in Mammoth.


“My kids were like, ‘We don’t want to go to that hellhole!” Kathy said. Her kids eventually turned around on the idea of living in Mammoth..


“They ended up loving it,” she said. The area where she lives is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream with plenty of hiking and natural scenery to enjoy. On occasion, she posts pictures of some of the animals in the area, like deer or the feral black cat that roams around the neighborhood.


Since the moment she bought the property, Kathy has remained a loyal resident of Mammoth, going so far as to be a member of the historical society at one time.


Nowadays, she spends her time painting and enjoying the animals and the vibrant plant life that have now overtaken the once thriving town of Mammoth.



A blue welcome sign amongst rocks , plants, and garden decorations.

Part 3: DANIEL’S STORY


Daniel Forbes is an interesting character. Once a military man, he is now a homebody. At 42, he is retired due to an injury and spends time working on woodcrafts, painting, and playing guitar.


Daniel is a stout man, fully-bearded, long-haired, and attractive in a blond and roughneck way. In an effort to make a significant change in his life when he was younger, he began wearing kilts instead of pants.


Originally from Missouri, Daniel served a tour in Iraq before moving to Utah. He was staying in Eureka when he met Kathy Fulton. They met prospecting for old bottles in outhouse holes near the town ruins.


As peculiar as that sounds, any excremental waste that was there would have turned to dust after 150 years or so. Regardless, such prospecting is what led to Daniel and Kathy falling in love and getting married.


The two of them contrast each other in different ways. Besides their age difference, Daniel has a robust personality and can be unconventional at times. Kathy is more modest and reserved. Despite that, they complement each other and their immediate surroundings neatly.


Daniel eschews the fast-paced, deadline-driven lifestyle of the city. He is very much in his element when in Mammoth and he has become a familiar face around town, as well as in Eureka. As such, Daniel and Kathy have no plans to leave Mammoth.


“It’s really the ideal place to live,” he said, “if you’re willing to put in a little bit of work.”


Living in Mammoth may be idyllic in some ways but it is not without its challenges. Because there is no running water in Mammoth, Daniel must drive to nearby Eureka with a pickup truck and fill a 325 gallon tank for the 1200 gallon tank at home.


Because of its high elevation, Mammoth gets bitterly cold in the wintertime. On the wintriest days, the snow can reach the rooftops and residents can be holed up in their homes for days.


But given the challenges that a place like Mammoth presents, it does not detract from Daniel or Kathy’s experience living there. In fact, the limitations enhance it.


“It takes both of our talents and abilities to make things work out here,” Daniel said. Mammoth’s geographically remote location makes it difficult to call a plumber or a repairman in case something’s broken.


“We have to learn how to do things on our own because we can’t get people to come out here and fix anything,” he said. Working together to maintain things is what keeps Daniel and Kathy active and happy.


Mammoth may be part ghost town and remote, but it is far from isolated. Daniel says neighbors feed off of each other’s knowledge. But while some things do not come natural to him, he says there is one thing that helps him out when he needs to learn things on the fly.


“YouTube,” he says. Surprisingly enough, you can still get Wi-Fi out in the boons.

Comments


bottom of page