The Blind Miner/Big Cottonwood Mining (2)

A misfired stick of dynamite blinded Roy Newman in this mine in 1929 — and he kept digging for forty-five more years. Convinced rich lead, zinc, and silver lay deeper in the mountain, he worked it alone with hand drills, a four-pound hammer, and explosives, driving the tunnel sixteen hundred feet into rock he couldn't see. He steered it straight with the sliver of sight he kept: sensing light faintly in one eye, he'd set a carbide lamp on the track behind him and a pick handle ahead, and aim between them. The portal still gapes across the creek.

What the plaque says

Roy Newman was blinded and nearly killed when a stick of dynamite misfired in this mine in 1929. But the determined miner recovered and returned to work his mine alone for another 45 years! You can see the mine portal to the right of this sign, across the creek at the head of the mine dump. The belief that rich lead, zinc, and silver ores lay deep in the mountain kept Roy working; he did encounter low-grade veins of ore. He drove 1,600 feet using only hand-held drills, a four-pound hammer, explosives, and his ingenuity. Though blind, Roy could faintly detect light in the corner of one eye and he used this ability to keep the mine workings straight. Roy would set a carbide lamp in the middle of the track, several hundred feet from the mine's working face. Then he would stand a pick, with its handle up, in the track a few feet from the face. Standing between the pick and the face, Roy moved his head back and forth until the pick handle blocked the light. Repeating this process, he was able to continually center and straighten the workings. Roy lived alone in a cabin near the mine through the pleasant summers and long, harsh winters. With the help of friends and family, who kept him supplied with food and other basic needs, he maintained his optimism and persevered. "I like the challenge that Mother Nature presents the miner who searches for her secrets," he said.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Snowbird — 4.3 mi
  The aerial-tram resort of Little Cottonwood Canyon, with steep terrain, deep snow, and one of the longest seasons in the country.
• Alta Ski Area — 4.7 mi
  One of America's oldest and snowiest ski areas — ski-only, fiercely independent, and built on an old silver camp.
• Solitude Mountain Resort — 4.9 mi
  The uncrowded, Alterra-owned resort at the head of Big Cottonwood Canyon, with Honeycomb Canyon's bowls and a quiet village base.
• Brighton Resort — 5.8 mi
  The Salt Lake Valley's longtime local ski hill — big snow, lots of night skiing, and high-speed quads to everything.

More markers nearby

• Stairs Hydroelectric Power Plant — 4.3 mi
• Camp Tracy — 5.2 mi
• The First Statewide Pioneer Day Celebration — 5.5 mi
• William Stuart Brighton — 5.5 mi