This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Plans to close 224 mine openings in southwestern Utah's San Francisco Mountains will be the subject of an April 30 open house in Milford, Beaver County.
The project is 14 miles west of Milford, in the historic Frisco mining district, said Chris Rohrer, project manager for the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining's Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program.
Frisco town was a Wild West town in the 1870s and 1880s. Structures still remaining from that time include the headframe and ore bin at the Old King David mine and buildings left over from the Horn Silver mine, which operated for 78 years before ceasing operations in 1952.
"The Frisco district is a magnet to history buffs and other visitors," Rohrer said.
"Landowners have tried to control public access to their property with locked gates and signs, but it is a losing battle," he added. "We see the reclamation work as the best method to protect trespassers from possible injury. We recognize the historic value of the mines and aim to minimize the effect of the closures."
The open house will run from 6-9 p.m. in the Milford City Building, 26 S. 600 West.
Mike Gorrell