Rock Asphalt

Rock asphalt was first mined at the
top or Whitmore Canyon—15 mi. NE of
this location—in the early 1890's.
The mine closed in 1898 & re-opened
in 1903. It operated erratically until
1915 when it was forced to close due
to the development of sheet asphalt.
In 1927 another co. tried to develop
a rock asphalt industry. They spent
over 1/2 million dollars on equipment
including a 3 1/2' mile gravity powered
arial tramway. To promote the use
of rock asphalt for paving, it was
sold for $8.00/ton even though
production costs exceeded $16.00/ton.
This co. went bankrupt in 1931 and
the Rock Asphalt Co. of Utah took
over in 1932. The mine operated only
about 2 months out of the year &
eventually closed. Interest was
re-kindled in teh 1970's but nothing
ever developed.

Dedicated July 10, 1993
Matt Warner Chapter 1900
E Campus Vitus