Castle Gate, Carbon County, Utah Genealogy

Guide to Castle Gate, Carbon County ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Quick History
Castle Gate is a class 4 mining ghost town, in Carbon County. Castle Gate got its start in 1886 when the Pleasant Valley Coal Company began mining operations. The name of the town was inspired by the large rock formation at the mouth the Price Canyon. There were two Castle Gate mines, Castle Gate #1 in 1888 and Castle Gate #2 in 1912. On March 8, 1924 exploded killing 171 miners. This is one of the most deadly mining disasters in United States History. Castle Gate was closed and it's residents were relocated to a new subdivision at the mouth of Spring Canyon, west of Helper. The former town was cleared by May 1974.

Location

 * Coordinates: 39°43′40″N 110°52′03″W

Maps

 * 1895 Map of Carbon County

Neighboring Communities
Nolan | Helper | Scofield

Time Line

 * 1886: Mining begun, town grows
 * 1888: Castle Gate Mine #1 opens
 * 1912: Castle Gate Mine #2 opens
 * 1924: Large Mining Disaster, killing 171 miners
 * 1974: Town dissolved

Biographies

 * Memorial to those who lost their lives in coal mines in Utah in the 19th & 20th centuries Lists name, date of accident, and mine.

Cemeteries

 * Castle Gate Cemetery Includes name, birth and death dates, and relationships as available.
 * Castle Gate Cemetery Findagrave.com

Check cemeteries in neighboring communities.
 * Carbon County Gravestone Photo Project

Church Records
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) Castle Gate Ward, formerly known as Castle Gate Branch, became a unit of the Carbon Stake May 1893.
 * Record of members 1890-1941
 * Ward Form E 1907, Carbon Stake Form E 1908-1917, Ward Form E 1918-1948 

Historical Newspapers

 * Carbon County News 1908 - 1915
 * Eastern Utah Advocate 1891 - 1916
 * News Advocate 1915 - 1932
 * Carbon County Newspaper Articles

Societies, Museums and Libraries
The Western Mining and Railroad Museum 294 South Main Helper, Utah 84526 Phone: (435) 472-3009

Marriage

 * Marriage information may be located at the Western States Marriage Database searchable by bride or groom.

Death
Castle Gate Mine Disaster 8 March 1924 Nationalities of the 171 men killed in the Gastle Gate #2 explosion:


 * 76 Americans
 * 49 Greeks
 * 22 Italians
 * 12 Welsh
 * 8 Japanese
 * 7 English
 * 6 Austrians (Yugoslavs)
 * 2 African-Americans
 * 2 Scots
 * 1 Belgian

The youngest victim was 15 years old and the oldest was 73.

The full list of deaths is available at UTGenWeb. A list of the rescuers has also been compiled.

Due to reduce orders, Utah Fuel Company two weeks prior to the explosion laid off many of the unmarried miners and miners without dependents. 114 of the men who were killed in the disaster were married, leaving behind 415 widows and fatherless children.


 * Utah Department of Archives 1903 to 50 years ago Choices of search types - name, date of death (year, month, day, or any combination) and county. Images of actual death certificates.
 * Utah Death Certificates 1904 - 1956 -A free internet access to the 1904-1956 death certificates can be viewed on the Family Search Historical Records. Utah requires a death certificate before a burial is completed.  A death certificate may contain information as to the name of the deceased, date of death, and place of death, as well as the age, birthdate, parents, gender, marital status, spouse and place of residence.  For information on death prior to 1904 you can search the Utah State Burial Index.

Suggested Reading

 * ''Connecting the West : historic railroad stops and stage stations of Elko County, Nevada
 * The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns.
 * Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures
 * Pioneers of Carbon County
 * A Struggle for Survival and Identity: Families in the Aftermath of the Castle Gate Mine Disaster
 * Hecatomb at Castle Gate, Utah, March 8, 1924

Websites

 * Castle Gate Mine Explosion
 * Castle Gate Photos
 * Castle Gate Lost Treasure
 * List of Mines in Carbon County
 * Silver Mining in the Beehive State
 * Utah Ghost Towns
 * Utah Mining
 * Castle Gate Ghost Town
 * Worst US Mining Disasters