Episode 292 – Utah Copper

This is TNUP’s last episode of 2021. We’re so excited for 2022. For 2022 instead of just researching the amazing places in Utah, we’ll be visiting some of them. We’ll record a bit, take some pictures, and then come back to the show to tell you about our adventure.

We open the show this week by talking about football bowl cancellations due to COVID concerns. As of our recording, the Hawai’i Bowl, Military Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Fenway Bowl, and the Arizona Bowl. As of this writing, the Rose Bowl will be played. Go Utes! Along with that a small shout-out to Tom Barberi, who passed away on Christmas Eve. He was a staple in the Utah media and will be missed.

Bre and Chris talk about their successful delivery of Sub for Santa gifts and a successful mouse trapping. So far there are no signs of a second mouse. Fingers crossed we don’t end up with a mouse infestation similar to Jeremy’s rats!

Salt Lake City Tours – Copper Mine of Utah Tour

This week we talk about the Kennecott Utah Copper Mine or the Bingham Canyon Mine, the largest man-made excavation and deepest open pit mine in the world. Currently the mine is owned by Rio Tinto Group (a British-Australian multinational corporation). In the episode, we talk about the ore discovery in 1848 by Sanford and Thomas Bingham (whom the canyon and mine were originally named after) and the many iterations of owners the mine has had since its opening in 1863. While the mine brought much work and prosperity to Utah, it’s become a blight to the west bench that managed to literally bury entire cities.

The mine does not just produce approximately 300,000 short tons of copper annually but also, 400,000 troy ounces of gold, 4,000,000 troy ounces of silver and about 10,000 short tons of molybdenum. While I think everyone has heard of copper, silver, and gold, none of us had heard of molybdenum, a metal that is ductile and highly resistant to corrosion. It also has one of the highest melting points of all pure elements. We also found out the molybdenum is a micronutrient that is essential for life but can be poisonous when you are overexposed. (Don’t say we never taught you anything)

We also talk about the huge equipment needed to undertake this type of mining. One shovelful from a bucket holds more than 100 tons of material and it takes about three scoops to fill the 320-ton haul trucks used in the mine. The electrical shovels are six-stories high, and the average haul truck is 24 feet high with six tires more than 12 ½ feet tall. Each of the tires lasts about nine months and when the truck is fully loaded, it weighs more than 1,100,000 pounds.

In addition to burying entire towns, we talk about Daybreak being built on top of old tailing ponds. In 1990, homes that that been built on former flood plains were discovered to be contaminated with high levels of lead and arsenic. In its history, smelters caused sulfur dioxide gas emissions that significantly damaged neighboring crops and have had at least 25 chemical spills since 1989.

When Rio Tinto purchased the mine in 1989, they modernized the mine, mill, and the smelter. They also replace the railroad with conveyor belts and pipelines for transporting both ore and waste. We discuss the landslides and that the pit can be seen with the naked eye from outer space!!!

The Bigham Canyon Open Pit Copper Mine is on the list of National Historic Landmarks. We talked about the visitors’ center being open on the episode, but it is still closed due to COVID restrictions. You can take a virtual tour on their website.

Chris puts us all on the spot about our favorite episode of year but I’m the only one caught unaware and unprepared, as is the yoozh. He also tells us about his company’s impromptu Christmas party where is boss is like Oprah, “You get a prize! And you get a prize! And you get a prize!!!”

We hope you have a great new year, and we’ll see ya on the flip side!

The New Utah Podcast · 292 – Utah Copper

We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast

Episode 287 – Dugway

Hey everyone, it’s Jeremy here and this is the last podcast week of November, so ya’ll know what that means…Historically Significant Utah! The gang is short Julia this week because she headed out early to start her Thanksgiving shenanigans. Chris and Bre went to the Alton Brown show (I’m actually quite jealous) and afterwards they ate at the new Pretty Bird location. Go back a few years and you can listen to our interview with Chef Viet at the grand opening of Pretty Bird. Jeremy and Julia went to the Herriman Holiday Market, and we encourage everyone to shop local this holiday season.

This month we went down a deep rabbit hole and discussed the infamous Dugway Proving Grounds located 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Dugway Proving Ground is where the Army develops and tests biological and chemical weapons, tactics, and defenses, what are often called NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) hazards. DPG was established in 1942, shortly after the US was suddenly drawn into World War II. The Great Salt Lake Desert was an excellent location for this weapons development, being remote, thinly populated, and easy to secure.

In March 1968, 6249 sheep died in Skull Valley, an area only 30 miles from the Dugway testing site. The sheep were found to have been poisoned by a never agent ‘VX’ that had been developed at the proving grounds. The official claim was for 4,372 “disabled” sheep, of which about 2,150 were killed outright by the VX exposure. Another 1,877 sheep were “temporarily” injured or showed no signs of injury and but not marketable due to their potential exposure and put down by veterinarians.

From 1985 to 1991, Dugway Proving Ground was home to the Ranger Schools short-lived Desert Training Phase. It was first known as the Desert Ranger Division (DRD) until redesignated the Ranger Training Brigades 7th Ranger Training Battalion in 1987, and taught students basic desert survival skills and small unit tactics. The program was later moved back to its original site at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1991, where it was deactivated in 1995

We discuss some of the military tests involved human exposure to biological and chemical agents with intriguing titles like:

“The Consequences of Ingestion by Man of Real and Simulated Fallout”
Cluster bombs
Soil spores
“Operation Night Train”
Weteye Chemical Bomb
Birds to Tularemia
“Big Jack”
“Elk Hunt”
“Autumn Gold”
“Data report for DORK”
Incapacitating Darts
Entomological Munitions

“Entomological Munitions” was an experiment conducted at Dugway called “Operation Bellwether” which appears to study weaponized mosquitos. They took mosquitoes with an inert disease, and inert bacteria, and an inert virus and released them on civilian populations in the United States.

Following the public attention drawn to Area 51 in the early 1990’s, UFO hunters claim that numerous UFOs have been stored and reported in the area around Dugway. Dugway is being hailed as the new Area 51 (or) Area 52 to the diehard UFO Hunters.

The New Utah Podcast · 287 – Dugway

Episode 283 – Religious Architecture

It’s the last week of the month, and for October we are focusing in on 2 religious buildings that have a lot of historical significance for the State of Utah; The LDS Temple in Salt Lake City and The Cathedral of The Madeleine also in Salt Lake.

The show begins though, with some grumbles from Jeremy and Chris about the small election this coming week, and how folks continue to be running unopposed in the state, especially in local elections. We also complain about the need to mail ballots for a single position in a district, that is unopposed. A real barn burner of a choice who to vote for if you ask us.

Now into the good stuff, where we start with the LDS temple, in Temple Square, Downtown Salt Lake City. While not the first Mormon temple built, it is the largest in the world. It stands 210 feet tall, is covered in Utah granite as thick as 9 feet at the base and took 40 years to build.

The land the temple would be built on was recognized quickly and snatched up. A wall went up in 1852, to conceal the area to be built within. On April 6, 1853, the cornerstone ceremony occurred and work began in earnest. Local sandstone was initially used in the construction, which took years in foundation work. 14 years before walls appeared above ground to be exact.

In 1857, the site was buried, and hidden, in an effort to prevent the US Army from identifying that a temple was being built. When work resumed on the temple, after the military left and the Utah War was all but over, it was discovered that sandstone was just not the right material. So in 1860, the builders swapped to granite, which had been recently discovered in the nearby canyons.

In the episode we talk about the design of the temple, the symbolism used within and outside and many of the structures in temple square itself. It took 40 years to the day to complete, and on April 6, 1893 the temple was officially dedicated. Today, the temple is undergoing a massive renovation, and visiting it is not possible for the next 4 years.

We then move to a much quicker project, but equally significant to the State of Utah. The Cathedral of The Madeleine in downtown Salt Lake, just a few blocks form the LDS Temple, is a bastion of Catholic presence in the Salt Lake Valley. Built in 1/4 of the time, the Cathedral features similar architectural greatness.

Built on land purchased and donated by the first Bishop of Utah, Bishop Scanlan, it features tons of beautiful stained glass, sandstone and granite. With a very gothic interior the cathedral is open for all to see. Bishop Glass, the bishop that took over when Bishop Scanlan died, really added a lot of his flair to the cathedral after it was complete.

The cathedral was completed in 1909, but consecrated after it was paid off, during the Great Depression in 1936. The masses in the cathedral were all in Latin until 1965, when the first English mass was celebrated. The Cathedral also has slivers of what is supposed to be the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified on inside.

Hopefully you enjoy this episode, we had a good time making it.

The New Utah Podcast · 283 – Religious Architecture

Episode 279 – Bonneville Salt Flats

It’s the last week of September and that means it’s time for Historically Significant Utah Week! Bre and Chris provide a review of Sicilia Mia, and at least according to Chris, it is well deserving of the City Weekly Best Of Awards that it has won. Between the atmosphere and food, it’s really worth the price of admission. Speaking of City Weekly Best Of, don’t forget to vote while you still can for the 2021 awards.

With Hawaii around the corner, its a relatively short show. Jeremy does let us know about Operation Here Kitty Kitty, and it sounds like it is a success thus far. Only time will tell if he can permanently scare off the rats, by feeding the neighborhood strays. Don’t worry, we make sure he plans to keep feeding them through winter.

But the main thing we talk about is the Bonneville Salt Flats. Formed out of the remnants of Lake Bonneville, a lake pretty young in terms of the Earth, the salt flats, and the shoreline in general offer a wealth of history and scientific testing abundance. The lake was at it’s peak maybe some 25,000 years ago is all, and really formed most of what we now think of as the Salt Lake Valley. Reaching as far north as Idaho, and south as Sevier county, it was a massive lake. The Great Salt Lake, Utah Lake and Sevier Lake are what are left of the old lake.

It left us with a pretty massive gem of a landscape though. Due to the way the ancient lake receded, mostly by evaporation, we have been left in some areas with massive beds of really flat salt. These are known as the salt flats, for obvious reason. Here we have a crust from inches to many many feet deep of just plain old salt. It’s crystalized and hard, and the winter snow keeps it smooth.

Many folks explored the area, and the poor Donor party fell victim to the hospitability of the flats, eventually arriving so late to the Sierra Nevada range, that they ate each other. It didn’t take long though for people to figure out, that the flatness and length of these areas, lent their hand to going really fast. So in 1914 the first land speed record was broken roughly where the Bonneville Speedway now resides. A quick look around online and you can see just how many records were broken at the salt flats.

Of course there is more. Many films have been shot at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Independence Day, Con Air, and the Amazing Race are all things that have scenes from the flats. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi are two of the most famous. Whether your in Davey Jones locker or on a foreign planet trying to stop the First Order from killing the rebels, the salt flats are amazing.

You can visit them any time. Our recommendation is to drive to the rest stop on I80, just east of Wendover. You can walk out on the salt, and the rest stop even has a place to wash your shoes off after. Please don’t drive on them, they are very fragile in most places, and your vehicle will do long term permanent damage to them. They are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and you can find lots of information on them here.

The New Utah Podcast · 279 – Bonneville Salt Flats

Episode 270 – The Death Card

Hey kids, this is Jeremy again and guess what?… It’s the last week of July and that means it’s time for our ‘Historically Significant Utah Week’. Being that we just celebrated the 24^th of July (Utah’s birthday) aka Pioneer Day, aka Pie and beer day, we thought it would be fitting to highlight the ‘This is The Place Monument’ and Heritage Park.

The location of the park is where, on July 24, 1847 Brigham Young first saw the Salt Lake Valley, which would soon become the new home for the Mormon Pioneers. Members of the LDS Church believe Young had vision shortly after they were exiled from Navoo, Illinois. In this vision he saw the place where the church would settle and “make the desert blossom like a rose”

This mass religion exodus is generally defined as taking place between 1847 and 1868. That is when organized companies traveled to Utah by wagon or handcart. After the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 LDS emigrants generally traveled by train.

From 1847 to 1868 an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 pioneers traveled to Utah. Hundreds of thousands of other emigrants passed through Utah on their way (primarily to California).

Despite the romanticized idea of worn and weary pioneers traveling by handcart only about 3,000 people total, were in hand cart companies. Five hand cart companies came to Utah in 1856, two in 1857 one in 1859 and two in 1860. Each of these companies had accompanying supply wagons to carry food, tents, and other supplies…one wagon per 100 people.

In 1917 B.H. Roberts and a boy scout troop built a wooden marker identifying the spot where the first wagon party entered the Salt Lake Valley. In 1921 it was replaced by a white stone Obelisk that still stands today.

Development of the monument began in 1937 with sculptor Mahonri M Young, a grandson of Brigham Young, was commissioned to design and create a larger monument. In 1947, on the 100^th anniversary of the entrance into the valley, This Is The Place Monument was dedicated and attended by nearly 50,000 people.

The current location of the monument is now a living heritage museum. There is a village with actual pioneer homes, a blacksmith, tinsmith, and saddle maker. A visitor center with ice cream shop, grill and donuts. You can milk a cow, ride a train even have your wedding reception in the main building.

Find out more information by checking out the following:

This Is The Place Heritage Park
2601 Sunnyside Ave S, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
(801) 582-1847

The New Utah Podcast · 270 – The Death Card

Historically Utah: Ogden’s 25th Street

Our historic review for the month of April, Episode 257 takes a stroll down the violent and seedy 25^th street in Odgen.

Ogden was originally settled by the Mormon pioneers in the mid 1800’s. A quite farming town at first but the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad marked the beginning of Ogden’s 19th-century boom, especially Ogden’s 25th Street. Dubbed the notorious “Two Bit Street,” it was too rough even, reportedly, for Al Capone. The railroad brought with it rail men, travelers, gold rusher’s, cowboys, and drifters. The area around the train station quickly exploded with diversity and the local lawmen could not keep up with the sudden influx of people. Entire streets were thrown up almost overnight.

Ogden’s first boom from 1880 to 1905 ushered in the heyday of the Wild West. Gambling, shootouts, opium dens, liquor, prostitution, and all manner of Vices could be found in one place -Electric Alley. Now a parking lot between 24^th and 25^th street Electric Alley was run by the notorious Madame Belle London

When the Progressive movement and Prohibition arrived in Utah long before the national prohibition movement Odgen saw another boom. From 1917-1933, Odgen thrived with bootleggers and speakeasies. Tunnels were dug from the Union Station to the Ben Lomond Hotel and crime thrived both underground and above. The tunnels allowed for the easy transport of illegal liquor, outlaws, and underground gambling. Crime was carried out almost uninterrupted for decades.

With the repeal of prohibition, 25^th street saw another boom in the organized crime business. Ogden’s Crime bosses could reach as far out as Chicago and even New York. Other organized crime rings would ‘Consult’ with Ogden to see how they had been so successful in their operations. Odgen became the poster child for organized crime organizations around the country.

The real decline in Ogden’s 25^th street came in the 1950’s when the IRS arrived. This began a serious crack down on crime, prostitution, and all the vices. Along with the incredible loss of railroad passages, the plug was finally pulled on Ogden’s checkered economy.

If you want to know more about the history of Odgen’s 25^th street this topic is only a ‘Goolge’ box away. You too can go down the rabbit hole we did and find some fascinating stories and lots of wonderful photos.

The New Utah Podcast · 257 – Two Bit Street Pokemon

Music for episode by Folk Hogan

Historically Utah: Denver Rio Grande Depot (aka) The Rio Grande Station

Our historic review for the month of March episode 253 is all about the Rio Grande Station in downtown Salt Lake City.

Construction was completed in 1910 on the Denver and Rio Grand Depot. The project had been long and complicated, fraught with friction, false starts, and fighting along the way. Thanks to architect Henry Schlacks of Chicago Salt Lake was thrust into an intercontinental crossroads.

The fact that the depot even came to Salt Lake was a miracle. The original plan was to have the crossroads junction stay in Denver. Salt Lake was merely supposed to be a connection from Denver to El Paso and eventually Mexico City.

Due to issues with the construction and financial misdeeds the station was eventually slated for Salt Lake City.

The battle between The Union Pacific Railroad and Denver Rio Grande became very fierce, but ultimately the D&RG won out.

Plans began in early 1902 and construction did not begin until 1906. It took four years and an estimated $800,000 to build. (that’s over $21 million dollars today). The station lived an amazing life for many years with hotels, restaurants, and a thriving city center growing up around it. With the advent of the freeway, and air travel by 1977 the station was nearly bankrupt and ended up being sold for $1.00 to the State of Utah. From 1986 to 1999 it served as Salt Lake City’s Amtrack Station.

This grand old building now serves as the home to the Utah Department of Heritage & Arts. It also houses the Rio Gallery, and is used by the farmers market nearly year-round.

The New Utah Podcast · 253 – Cleany Wipey Thing

Music for episode by Folk Hogan

Historically Utah: The Great Saltair

Our deep dive into a historically significant place in Utah for February, episode 248, takes us to The Great Saltair.

It was first built at the end of the 1800’s as an amusement park and a wholesome destination for dates and families. Owned and developed by the LDS Church it was the place to be until the first fire. Yup, there have been three fires in the history of Saltair but that doesn’t keep the place down. It’s now been resurrected as an event and concert venue. In that vein, we discuss Utah’s other amusement parks, event centers, and concerts.

People swimming at Saltair in 1933. Photo Salt Lake Tribune

The New Utah Podcast · 248 – Coney Island of the West

Music for episode by Folk Hogan

Historically Utah: Topaz Relocation Camp

Welcome to the first of our new annual feature!

As you know here at TNUP we dedicate the last recording week of the month to something special. In 2019 we focused on ‘Infamous’ Utahns. In 2020 it was ‘Famous’ Utahns and for 2021 we have decided to focus on historically famous locations, landmarks, and places. To kick the new year off right we dive into a location known as Topaz Mountain.

The Central Utah Relocation Center…Or Topaz Mountain as it has been referred to was one of 10 relocation centers constructed in the United States during World War II for the purpose of detaining Japanese Americans and people of Japanese descent. More than 11,000 people passed through the center and, at its peak, it housed over 8,000 internees. Today, the Central Utah Relocation Center (Topaz) Site consists of two monuments, building foundations, roads, gravel walkways, agricultural buildings, portions of the perimeter fence, and landscaping.

Construction of the 19,800-acre Central Utah Relocation Center began in July of 1942, continuing through January of 1943. The center was built in the Sevier Desert in central Utah, a dry, windy environment with harsh winters that was entirely new to the internees, most of whom were from the San Francisco, California area.

The walls of the barracks were covered with sheet rock, but many of the apartments where not finished when the inmates began to arrive. The prisoners had to endure very cold conditions until eventually gypsum board was installed on the walls and ceilings.

People at Topaz could work, but wages were substandard for work inside the camp. Doctors of Japanese ancestry were paid $19 a month. Teachers made $16 per month and clerical, cooks, and farm hands made $14 to $12 per month. All workers received a clothing allowance and ration cards. Unemployment compensation went to families of those unable to find employment.

The Central Utah Relocation Center was closed on October 31, 1945. Following the closing of the camp, many of the structures were sold or taken away to nearby educational facilities and most of what remained was torn down.

The Central Utah Relocation Center (Topaz) Site is now a National Historic Landmark. Due to COVID-19 the museum is temporarily closed but you can call the number (435) 864-2514 for updates on re-opening plans and adjusted hours. You can also search topazmuseum.org. for facts and resources about the center.

The New Utah Podcast · 244 – The Big D

Music for episode provided by Folk Hogan.

The New Utah Podcast

The Utah you really want to know about.

Historically Utah Places

Episode 292 – Utah Copper

Episode 287 – Dugway

Episode 283 – Religious Architecture

Episode 279 – Bonneville Salt Flats

Episode 270 – The Death Card

Historically Utah: Ogden’s 25th Street

Historically Utah: Denver Rio Grande Depot (aka) The Rio Grande Station

Historically Utah: The Great Saltair

Historically Utah: Topaz Relocation Camp