The Wasatch Mountains have been the geologic and economic backdrop for Salt Lake Valley, thanks to the minerals that lie within them.
But it wasn’t just about the gold and silver found underneath the ground — trees had a major part to play as well.
In the early stages of mining, timber was crucial for construction of underground structures to support mining shafts and tunnels that prevented cave-ins. Carts made of timber were essential for transport. Early on, trees were used as fuel for steam power but were later replaced by coal.
And of course, timber was essential for peripheral uses — building boarding houses, saloons and sidewalks. At times, there were as many men cutting and hauling wood above ground as working below.
Douglas fir was the top choice for mining timbers, because of its both strength and elasticity. Other woods like Engelmann spruce and lodgepole pine were also used.
The upper reaches of the Wasatch were originally heavily forested with what seemed like an unending and convenient source wood. It wasn’t long, however, before deforestation made the slopes prone to dangerous winter avalanches. In the 1890s, entire mines and homes were swept under the frequent slides, a consequence of over-cutting.
When I hike in the Wasatch Mountains now, I sometimes encounter the remains of old mines, and marvel at the length and girth of the timbers that now lie in heaps, like giant pickup sticks amid piles of cast-off rocks — echoes of the historical interactions of trees and people.
