Mines

"Five Buck Mine"

Howard Milo Egan, a Pioneer of Richmond and an owner of a majority of land east of Richmond, would help in developing lead mines east of Richmond. His sons would help him in doing these tasks. This particular mine was very difficult to travel to, as a road could not be made to get to the mine. A simple trail was developed and at the end of the trail to the mine, a cabin was built.1 This mine was known as Left Fork Mine, as it was on the left of the fork of the road.

Dean Andrus, a late owner of the mine said of an experience he was able to write down.

"It was told to me by Doc Horace Egan (Horace Denzil Egan). The Fitzgerald mine east of Richmond is the scene of the story. A man by the name of Fitzgerald made the original discovery some 70 years ago. It became a patented claim. It was abandoned by Fitzgerald. An organization called the Emmit Mining Co. was organized.

"During this time Doc Egan and his brothers were working for the mining co., along with Jack, a mining engineer from Salt Lake City. At that time a road for a two wheeled cart and a team of horses from town worked on the road. They received a $1 a day plus a $1 on mining stock. After a long period of work they were to go to town for a few days rest and bring in supplies. Horace and Arnold (Arnold Freeman Egan) wanted Jack to come with him. But he said no, he would stay at the mine.

"When they returned from town, Jack told them what had happened while they were gone. He said along in the night, he didn't know what time it was, he heard someone calling from the trail below. This trail is visible from the canyon as it makes a sharp switch back to reach the cabin.

"They were calling, "Hey you in the cabin, can you hear me?" Jack said- this was repeated several times until finally he got up and went to the doors. He shouted, "Who are you and what do you want?" The answer came back, "I want you to leave the cabin and come out of the cabin with me." Jack asked, "Why should I leave the cabin this time of night and go with you? Why don't you come up and spend the night with me? We will talk it over in the morning." "NO!" came the answer. "You must come with me now! I cannot wait till morning." Jack reached in the cabin for a Seven Cell flashlight and turned its powerful beam down the trail. He saw a very tall man with a full beard standing in the trail. He did not know him. Jack told him he would not go out of the cabin. He said, "Ok, that's up to you." Turning around, he walked out of sight down the trail. Jack didn't sleep much the rest of the night. 

"When Horace and Arnold returned the next day with the supplies, he told them of his experiences of the night before. It was 2 or 3 days later that they were deciding to blow a larger portal to the mine. This would take five heavy charges of dynamite to widen and clear the portal. It would be easier than shoveling out the entrance.

"This particular morning it was cloudy and threatening rain. They placed the 5 heavy charges and prepared to light the fuses. As a rule when blasting, they would light the fuses and ran around the hill behind a tree while they exploded. About this time, it began to rain quite heavily and Jack said, "Let's make a run for the cabin." Doc lit the fuse and they ran to the cabin.

Arnold went in on the bunk under the heavy beam of the roof. Jack was in the cabin and Horace was standing just inside the door. At this time, Horace said he had a terrible feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

"The first charge went off, some light gravel and rocks were showered on the roof. Then the second blast went off. It seemed a space before the third blast went off. Jack stepped up to Horace and pushed him out of the way. He took his place by the door saying, "I want to see what's going on here."

"As Horace described it later, the third charge exploded, and it seemed the roof of the cabin caved in. He was knocked off his feet. When he got up,he saw that the stove was knocked over. Soot and ashes were everywhere. Jack was lying on the floor, moaning. Arnold came off the trunk. He and Horace told Arnold, "One of us must go for help." Arnold said he would go, he didn't want to stay there with Jack.

"Arnold took off running down the canyon. He got some horses and took a doctor up the canyon. A large rock had come through between the heavy beams. It struck Jack on the left shoulder. They later found out his shoulder was broken and seven ribs and his arms in two places. The doctor filled him full of sedatives and they rigged up a stretcher to carry out to a vehicle so they could get him to a hospital. It was very difficult to carry a man on a stretcher down a steep trail. The man in back had to carry at about knee highlevel, and the man in front had to carry at his shoulders. They were met by people with vehicles and they got him to the hospital. He died that night.

"There's another amazing thing about this story. Jack told Horace a week before when he was about to leave Salt Lake City to come to Richmond. An insurance agent kept bothering him to take out life insurance. He told him he didn't want it, but the man persisted. “Just make an initial payment to put the policy in force, and we will talk about it when you return.” Jack did this more to get rid of the salesperson. As it turned out, Jack left his wife with a $10,000 insurance policy.

"This story is true, I have written it down just as Horace told it to me.

"Later on, the mine was abandoned and a group of my friends and I filed on it again. We called it the "5 Buck Mine." The five were Albert Bateman (Albert Stovald Bateman), Evan Spackman (Even Henry Spackman), Herbert Anderson (Herbert William Anderson), Floyd White (Floyd Stoker White), and myself (Dean Andrus). This name came about because the first year, we had five buck deer hanging east of the cabin the second morning of the season. The old cabin is falling in and the bottom logs have rotted away and it leans to one side. You can still see where the hole in the roof has been patch. I have spent many a night in that old cabin, sometime alone and sometime with friends. 

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