The 12 Most Horrifying Disasters That Ever Happened in Utah
By Catherine Armstrong|Published October 05, 2015
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
We’re lucky to live in Utah, where few natural disasters occur. However, flash flooding in mid-September resulted in the largest number of deaths due to weather in Utah’s history. We’ve also had our share of mine disasters and other horrible accidents that have resulted in the loss of life.
Here are some of the worst disasters our state has suffered.
On September 14, 2015, flash floods in Utah killed 13 people in the small, polygamist community of Hilldale. That same day a group of 7 canyoneers were swept up in another flash flood.
A U.S. Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Chicago crashed near Bryce Canyon on October 24, 1947, killing all 52 people aboard. The plane shown here is a similar DC 6 airplane; not the actual plane that crashed.
Flooding affected much of Utah during the spring of 1983. In April, a landslide completely covered the town of Thistle. The damage was estimated at $200 million and Thistle residents never returned.
5) Avalanches, Alta
Alta, which was originally a mining town, suffered 11 avalanches between 1878 and 1911. Some avalanches resulted in only one fatality; others claimed as many as 15 lives.
6) Train/Bus Collision, South Jordan
A freight train hit a school bus carrying students from Jordan High School on December 1, 1938. 23 students died.
7) Train Wreck, Bagley
In the early morning hours of December 31, 1944, a freight train on the tracks near Ogden had mechanical problems. A Southern Pacific passenger train slowed down to adjust for the struggling freight train ahead. A mail express train couldn’t see the slowed train due to heavy fog, and it crashed into the rear of the train, killing 48 passengers and injuring dozens more.
8) Wilberg Mine, Emery County
A fire at the Wilberg Mine in on December 19, 1984 resulted in the loss of the lives of 27 miners.
On August 6, 2007, the Crandall Canyon Mine collapsed, trapping six miners inside. On August 16th, three rescuers were killed and several were injured in an mine tunnel explosion. The bodies of the six trapped miners were never recovered, and the owners of the mine were given a fine of $1.85 million for safety violations.
The tornado that touched down in Salt Lake City on August 11, 1999, resulted in the loss of only one life. It horrified Utahns, who believed that Utah’s mountains protected the state from tornadoes.
On May 1, 1900, an explosion at the Scofield mine killed at least 200 miners. At the time, it was the worst mining disaster in the history of the country. It remains Utah’s worst disaster for loss of human lives.
Do you remember any of Utah’s worst disasters?
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