Rock Asphalt

Some mines lose money on purpose and still can't survive. The rock asphalt at the head of Whitmore Canyon — sandstone soaked with natural tar, useful for paving — was first dug in the 1890s and worked in fits and starts for decades. In 1927 a company sank over half a million dollars into it, including a three-and-a-half-mile aerial tramway that ran on gravity. To coax buyers, it sold the asphalt at eight dollars a ton though each ton cost sixteen to produce. The company went bankrupt in 1931, and every revival since has quietly failed.

What the plaque says

Rock asphalt was first mined at the top of Whitmore Canyon - 15 mi. NE of this location - in the early 1890's. The mine closed in 1898 & re-opened in 1903. It operated erratically until 1915 when it was forced to close due to the development of sheet asphalt. In 1927 another Co. tried to develop a rock asphalt industry. They spent over 1/2 million dollars on equipment including a 3 1/2 mile gravity powered aerial tramway. To promote the use of rock asphalt for paving, it was sold for $8.00/ton even though production costs exceeded $16.00/ton. This Co. went bankrupt in 1931 and the Rock Asphalt Co. of Utah took over in 1932. The mine operated only about 2 months out of the year & eventually closed. Interest was rekindled in the 1970's but nothing ever developed.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Prehistoric Museum at USU Eastern — 14 mi
  A small-town museum punching way above its weight in dinosaur science
• Price — 14 mi
  A gritty coal mining town with a surprisingly excellent dinosaur museum
• Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry — 15 mi
  The densest concentration of Jurassic-era dinosaur bones ever found
• Nine Mile Canyon — 28 mi
  The longest art gallery in the world — thousands of ancient rock art panels

More markers nearby

• Pioneer Cabin — 8.7 mi
• Assumption Greek Orthodox Church — 13 mi
• Matt Warner Plaque — 13 mi
• First Meetinghouse — 14 mi