Mss C 1949 Ophir (Utah) Photograph Collection, ca. 1910-1924 A Register of the Collection at the Utah State Historical Society Utah State Historical Society 2012 Finding aid encoded in EAD by Melissa Ferguson using oXygen 9.3, 2012. Finding aid written in English.

The machine-readable finding aid for this collection was created by the

Collections Management staff, Utah State Historical Society. Utah State Historical Society 2012
Salt Lake City, Utah

Copyright 2012, Utah State Historical Society. All rights reserved. Reproduction, storage or transmittal of this work, or any part of it, in any form or by any means, for commercial purposes, is prohibited without prior authorization of the Utah State Historical Society. This work may be used for scholarly and other non-commercial use provided that the Utah State Historical Society is acknowledged as the creator and copyright holder.

Summary Description Utah State Historical Society Mss C 1949 Unknown Inventory of The Ophir (Utah) Photograph Collection, ca. 1910-1924 1 Envelope The collection includes eight 3.5" x 5" black and white photographs depicting life in Ophir, Utah between ca. 1910 and 1924. Topics: Baird family--Photographs. World War, 1914-1918--Ophir (Utah)--Photographs. Ophir (Utah)--Photographs. Ophir (Utah)--Social life and customs. Ophir Hill Mine (Tooele County, Utah)--Photographs. Social Life and Customs Agriculture and Natural Resources City and Town Life Home and Family Mines and Mineral Resources Form or Genre: Photographs Background Background Note

The mining town of Ophir is located in a narrow canyon in the Oquirrh Mountains. Beginning in the 1860s the town increased steadily and by the turn of the twentieth century offered the services of a hotel, general store, saloon, drug store, a livery stable, a fire station, a town hall, and an elementary school. The town's population fluctuated with the boom-and-bust cycles of mining for precious metals, but never regained anything near its population of over 500 in 1920. According to the 2000 census, the population of Ophir was 23.

 Scope and Content

The collection includes eight 3.5" x 5" black and white photographs of Ophir, Utah between ca. 1910 and 1924. The photographs were originally donated to the Archives of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City by Wanda McDonough. McDonough identified the images upon her donation. The photographs were transferred to the Utah State Historical Society in 2010.

The photographs are arranged in chronological order, and are described in the Contents List below according to the information provided by the original donor.

Administrative Information Preferred Citation:

The Ophir (Utah) Photograph Collection, ca. 1910-1924, Utah State Historical Society.

 Acquisition Information:

Transferred from the Archives of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, 2010.

 Restrictions on Use

The Ophir (Utah) Photograph Collection, ca. 1910-1924 is the physical property of the Utah State Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.

Processing Information: Collection processed by Melissa Ferguson, 2012. Finding aid compiled by Melissa Ferguson, 2012. Finding aid edited by Doug Misner, 2012. Collection cataloged by Michele Elnicky, 2012. Finding aid encoded by Melissa Ferguson, 2012. Container list Box Folder Contents 1 1 1. Mining camp of Ophir, Utah, taken from high above Ophir Hill Mine,0020ca. 1910-1924. 2. Baird Home on Back Street, Ophir, Utah. Baird children standing at the gate, cousin Hazel North on the porch. Building in the background is the old rock jail dating from Ophir's boom days, but was not in use at the time this photograph was taken, ca. 1917. 3. Gathering pine nuts on Ophir Hill. Individuals in the photograph, from left to right: Unidentified; Joe Baird (child); Jim Baird (child); Mrs. Joe Baird; Wanda Baird McDonough (child); Mary Johnson, ca. 1917. 4. Picnic at the ball park at the top of town. Individuals are sitting on blankets on the grass, with a large tree in the background. Wanda Verda and Mrs. Mina Baird at the left of the photograph, with members of the Fred Butler family in the center. The individuals to the right of the photograph are unidentified, ca. 1917. 5. "Winter Pasttime." Ophir children slide down a snowy hillside without sleds or skis. Hillside is behind the Baird Home (Photograph 2). Old rock jail is visible, ca. 1918. 6. Town residents gather in front of Town Hall in a ceremony regarding World War I. A band from Lehi (Utah) is at the left of the photograph. The house on the corner was then occupied by the Forsberg family. ca. 1918. 7. Front Street on "the Flat," ca. 1918. 8. Aerial view of Ophir. Large white house at the left of the photograph was built for Senator Clark of Montana. Ophir Hill Superintendent Sidney Cook and family occupied it at the time of this photograph. The assay office is directly across the street on the right side of the photograph. This view of Front Street up "the hill" encompasses the "business" district of the camp, ca. 1918.