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Silver Reef Mining Town: Preserving Chinatown is a community effort

Dec 21, 2023

Historically, Silver Reef was a mining town with many support industries packing the town. Its heyday would only last about 30 years, occupied from the 1870s to the early 1900s. Silver Reef was home to around 1,500 people at its height and was one of the largest towns in Washington County. As a typical boomtown, Silver Reef grew as quickly as it dwindled down. Reduced operations continued through 1909, after which mining completely stopped, and livestock owners took their place. When the town was abandoned, neighboring town residents borrowed the leftover buildings and took the materials for their own use.

Historical photo of Silver Reef mining town with China Town circled on the left of the photograph. — 1879 retouched photo of Silver Reef mining town with China Town circled on the left of the photograph. Courtesy Utah State Historic Society.

It was also home to a significant population of Chinese immigrants with census records identifying nearly 250 Chinese residents residing in Silver Reef. Their story is an integral part in understanding the diversity of mining towns and the people who worked these mines. Research focused on the Chinese residents has not taken place until this November, when volunteers conducted a search for artifacts and remnants of their homes and businesses. Chris Merritt, Utah State Historic Preservation Officer, teamed up with the BLM Utah St. George Field Office and Cedar City Field Office, Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program, Washington County, Dinosaur Discovery Site, Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association, and the Silver Reef Museum and held two public events which included identifying the neighborhood known as China Town and a workshop on artifact identification in Silver Reef.

Organizers and volunteers at the site of China Town in the old mining town of Silver Reef, Utah. Photo by BLM Utah.

These efforts recorded the remnants of more than 10 residences and conducted detailed documentation on the artifacts imported from China for domestic use. These small items help to tell the larger and often forgotten stories of these contributors to our nation’s history. The total number of artifacts discovered during this event was nearly 1,500 pieces of material culture.

Organizers and volunteers marking surface artifacts at the site of China Town in the old mining town of Silver Reef, Utah. Photo by BLM Utah.

Today the remnants of this town are located on BLM, Utah Trust Lands and private lands. The original Wells Fargo Bank is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a museum dedicated to telling the story of the Silver Reef to the public.