Dream Mine
Underground | |
History | |
---|---|
Opened | 1894 |
Owner | |
Company | Relief Mine Company |
Website | ReliefMine.com |
Year of acquisition | 1962 |
The Dream Mine, or Relief Mine, is a non-productive
Koyle died in 1949 and work on the Dream Mine ended in the 1960s. Koyle's followers, known as "Dream Miners," have continued to maintain the mine and to trade stock in it. Although the mine has not yet produced any valuable metals, Dream Miners believe it will produce gold before the Second Coming, and that Koyle's other prophecies will be fulfilled.
Background
John Hyrum Koyle
John Koyle was born in
Koyle served as a
Historical setting
During Koyle's lifetime, the LDS Church moved more into America's religious mainstream, starting with the 1890 Manifesto and the Reed Smoot hearings, both of which dealt with the practice of polygamy. In the 1900s, church leaders started emphasizing Joseph Smith's First Vision, focusing less on his mystical worldview and early treasure hunting activities.[3]: 140–141
American historian
History
Construction and incorporation
On September 17, 1894, Koyle and five friends started excavating the place on the mountain which he had seen in his dream.
Koyle said that he was visited by two of the Three Nephites in a dream on January 10, 1914. These messengers told him that the Dream Mine would be a "Relief Mine" which would provide financial relief after the disasters leading up to the Second Coming. The mine would be the first "City of Refuge," providing material survival until plural marriage and the United Order were reestablished.[11]: 64–5 They also warned Koyle that the Dream Mine would face "false rumors" and experience opposition from leaders of the LDS Church.[1]: 120
Opposition from the LDS Church
In 1913, Mormon apostle and geologist James E. Talmage examined some ore from the Dream Mine and reported to church headquarters that it was worthless.[10] On August 16, 1913, the LDS Church issued a statement entitled "A Warning Voice" directed at Koyle's Dream Mine.[12]: 35 The introduction to this statement reads:
The First Presidency warns the Saints against investing in worthless stock, even if promoters allege that they are guided by dreams and revelations…. Almost everyone has heard stories of how such and such has found a rich mine by following directions given in a dream, and many fondly hope for similar luck, but in most instances, it will be found on investigation, that such stories have little or no foundation in fact.[13]
Five days after this was published, Koyle was released from his calling as bishop and succeeded by Lars Olsen, one of Koyle's followers.[6]: 33 This 1913 statement would be recited in 1970 by LDS Church president Harold B. Lee.[14]
The Dream Mine was closed in 1914 because of the opposition from the LDS Church, and it was reopened in September 1920
Later history
In 1929, a small deposit of platinum was reportedly discovered in the mine.[5]: 43 Five years later, Koyle and his followers started constructing an ore mill called the "White Sentinel" just outside the Dream Mine. The mill was finished in 1936, and it processed one load of ore worth $103.03 before being shut down the next year.[6]: 34 On January 20, 1933, the geologist Frederick J. Pack published a review of mineral samples taken from the Dream Mine in the Deseret News, declaring them practically worthless. State prosecutors from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigated the mine, and found no evidence of fraud, as improvements to the mine were more valuable than the money taken in, and its stockholders were apparently satisfied.[11]: 66
Koyle was brought before a
The Relief Mine Company
In 1962, brothers Quayle and Sheldon Dixon founded the Relief Mine Company to succeed the Koyle Mining Company.[5]: 43 The Relief Mine Company continues to do assessment work for the mine.[4] Work on the mine continued in the 1960s until the excavators encountered a capstone (caprock) which they could not drill through.[13] Work on the mine became too costly to continue, and the company now earns money through a rental home, a gravel pit, and an orchard watered with the mine's water.[16] A geological survey of the Dream Mine during this time found only limestone and quartzite, with no trace of metallic minerals.[15]
The Internal Revenue Service audited the Relief Mine Company in 1981.[5]: 36 In 1984, company officials said that the mine had over 6,000 stockholders.[12]: 33 In 2010, the company had at least 706 stockholders. Each share during this time was worth $10 at most, though investors would purchase a share for $30 to $35.[3]: 127 In May 2018, the company's board reported it had more than 7,500 active stockholders.[16]
In the 2000s, some Dream Miners formed an online community and
As of 2016, a small, nominal amount of mining labor was undertaken at the site each year to keep the mining claims active under Utah laws.[17]
References
- ^ ISBN 9781555178932.
- ISBN 9781555174118.
- ^ ISBN 9780874218381.
- ^ a b c d e Haymond, Jay M. "Dream Mine". Utah History to Go. State of Utah. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Nelson, Lee (November 1985). "Dream Mine: Utah's Century-Old Treasure Hunt" (PDF). Utah Holiday. 15: 36–46. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Cantera, Kevin (December 2010). "Fully Invested: Taking Stock in Utah County's Dream Mine" (PDF). Sunstone. 161: 30–37. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
- JSTOR 535275.
- ^ Taylor, Samuel W. (1978). Rocky Mountain Empire: The Later-Day Saints Today. NY: Macmillan Pub. Co., Inc., 1978, p.65-69.
- ISBN 978-1-59955-211-8.
- ^ a b Carter, Edward L. (January 1, 2005). "Dream Mine or Nightmare?". UtahValley360. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0803237030.
- ^ ISBN 0934126569.
- ^ a b Harris, Jeremy (November 5, 2015). "The Dream Mine prophecy: A search for buried treasure in Utah". KUTV. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ a b Peterson, Eric S. (December 27, 2007). "Prophet Sharing: The faithful are still waiting for Bishop Koyle's Mormon dream mine to pay out" (PDF). Salt Lake City Weekly. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- ^ a b Bullock, Kenneth C. (May 1962). Hintze, Lehi F. (ed.). "Economic Geology of North Central Utah" (PDF). BYU Geology Studies. 9 (1): 91–93. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 10, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
- ^ a b England, Katie (July 29, 2018). "Utah's Dream Mine still has thousands of stockholders, supporters". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ a b Peterson, Eric (October 10, 2016). "Doomsday Preppers in Utah See Donald Trump's Candidacy as a Sign of the Apocalypse". Vice. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
Further reading
- Christianson, James R. (1962). An Historical Study of the Koyle Relief Mine, 1894–1962 (MA thesis). Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University. hdl:1877/etdm145.
- Graham, Joe Stanley (1970). The Dream Mine: A Study in Mormon Folklore (MA thesis). Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University. hdl:1877/etdm271.
- Haymond, Jay M. (1994), "Dream Mine", Utah History Encyclopedia, University of Utah Press, ISBN 9780874804256, archived from the originalon March 21, 2024, retrieved April 18, 2024
- Kraut, Ogden (1978). John H. Koyle's Relief Mine. Dugway, Utah: Kraut's Pioneer Press.
- Kraut, Ogden (1998). Relief Mine II: Through Others' Eyes. Salt Lake City, Utah: Pioneer Press.
- ISBN 9781589586581.
External links
- ReliefMine.com, official website of the Relief Mining Company via Internet Archive
- "Apocalyptic Paydirt in Utah," by Eric S. Peterson of Salt Lake City Weekly