Utahns have weathered some hard times over the years, including several tragic mining disasters. One of the worst was the Castle Gate Mine Explosion in 1924, which resulted in the loss of more than 170 men and devastated the entire community of Castle Gate.

The little mining town of Castle Gate was founded in 1886. It was a thriving town in Carbon County that produced tons of coal to power the steam locomotives of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.
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Mining was a tough job, and the miners worked long hours for low wages. Though the town eventually grew to include all kinds of amenities such as an amusement hall, baseball field, and hotel, the workers were not unionized, and the town - and everything in it - was owned by Utah Fuel Company.
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During the early 1900s, workers pleaded with the company to make the mines safer, but they were ignored. On March 8, 1924, 171 miners headed into the Castle Gate No. 2 Mine for their morning shift.
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Someone inside struck a match, which ignited the coal dust and methane that filled the mine, causing a huge explosion. Shortly after the first explosion, two more rocked the town. The force was so powerful that some of the mine's equipment near the entrance was blown nearly one mile away. The roof and supports inside the mine collapsed.

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Miners from other nearby towns came to help dig the men out. Tragically, there were no survivors, and one rescue worker also died of carbon monoxide poisoning while trying to help.
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Of the 171 men who died, 115 left families behind. 241 children were left without fathers, and 25 pregnant widows would give birth in the months following the disaster.
Mrs. Rollins, who was pregnant at the time of the mine explosion, was left to care for nine children, ages 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, and 17.
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45 of the men who died were Americans; the rest were immigrants from Italy, Greece, England, Scotland, Wales, Japan, and Austria.
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The families of the miners received a small amount of financial assistance for several years. At the time of the explosion, the Castle Gate Mine disaster was the third-worst in the country.

Utah’s mining history goes all the way back to the 1800s. Check out these 11 rare photos that show what it was like to live in a mining town.

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