Ajax, Utah
Encyclopedia
Ajax is a ghost town
located in the Rush Valley
area of southeastern Tooele County, Utah
, USA. The town grew up around a unique department store
started in 1869 by a Welsh
immigrant named William Ajax. He operated the Ajax Underground Store until his death in 1899, and the settlement came to an end as the other residents left by 1900. All that remains today is a hole in the ground, with a historical marker
standing nearby.
and Vernon
. As numerous mines
were being developed in eastern Tooele County in the 1860s, small towns began to dot the region.
In 1869, William Ajax, whose department store business in Salt Lake City
was failing, moved his family to a dugout
in the Centre area. He had learned of the emerging market and started growing hay
to sell to the mines. He built a two-room adobe
house as a permanent shelter close to the hay crop. More accustomed to keeping a shop than raising a crop, Ajax soon began stocking the kitchen shelf with dry goods
and supplies to sell to passing travelers. Business boomed; by 1870 a post office
was set up in his store, which had outgrown the Ajax home and needed its own location.
timbers. When he had a chamber around 1800 square feet (160 m²) in area and 10–15 feet (3–4.5 m) deep, he added roof beams and an earthen roof, with a south-facing skylight. The Ajax Underground Store was open for business.
From the beginning the store operated as much more than a mere general store
, offering expensive textile
s and fine imported tableware
in addition to the necessities of frontier life. Local miners and ranchers could buy supplies to last through the winter, while their wives browsed through elegant cut crystal glassware and ornate figurine
s in comfort, protected from the harsh elements of the desert. The store became a gathering place for residents of such nearby communities as Mercur
, Stockton
, and Ophir
, and an important stopping point for overland travelers. An above-ground hotel was soon added, with stables and corrals that could hold 100 horses, 300 cattle, and 6,000 sheep. As it began to grow into a town in its own right, the settlement was named Puckerville, but the name didn't stick. Although the post office kept the name of Centre, people called the place Ajax.
William soon found need for further expansion; he kept digging until the store's main room stretched 80 feet (24 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) wide. Additional branching rooms eventually brought the Ajax Underground Store to a total area of 11,000 square feet (1000 m²), with over $75,000 worth of merchandise in stock. It was reported that the "Big Store", as locals called it, did more business than any similar Salt Lake City emporium.
catalogs was especially bad for business. The closure of Mercur in 1913 was the final blow; the Ajax Underground Store was finally forced to close in 1914. Most of the above-ground buildings were moved to other locations, but the underground store had to stay in place. In the 1920s it became a popular refuge for passing hobo
es, but one of their fires burned it completely, leaving only a depression in the ground to mark the site of Ajax.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
located in the Rush Valley
Rush Valley, Utah
Rush Valley is a town in Tooele County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 453 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rush Valley is located at ....
area of southeastern Tooele County, Utah
Tooele County, Utah
Tooele County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 40,735 and by 2005 was estimated at 51,311. Its county seat and largest city is Tooele....
, USA. The town grew up around a unique department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
started in 1869 by a Welsh
Welsh American
Welsh Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Wales. In the 2008 U.S. Census community survey, an estimated 1.98 million Americans had Welsh ancestry, 0.6% of the total U.S. population. This compares with a population of 3 million in Wales. However,...
immigrant named William Ajax. He operated the Ajax Underground Store until his death in 1899, and the settlement came to an end as the other residents left by 1900. All that remains today is a hole in the ground, with a historical marker
Historical marker
A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or sign to commemorate an event or person of historic interest and to associate that point of interest with a specific locale one can visit.-Description:...
standing nearby.
History
The area was first settled in 1863 by a group of Welsh farmers, who called their little settlement Centre for its location in the middle of the valley between StocktonStockton, Utah
Stockton is a town in Tooele County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 616 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Stockton is located at ....
and Vernon
Vernon, Utah
Vernon is a town in Tooele County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 236 at the 2000 census....
. As numerous mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
were being developed in eastern Tooele County in the 1860s, small towns began to dot the region.
In 1869, William Ajax, whose department store business in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
was failing, moved his family to a dugout
Dugout (shelter)
A dugout or dug-out, also known as a pithouse, pit-house, earth lodge, mud hut, is a shelter for humans or domesticated animals and livestock based on a hole or depression dug into the ground. These structures are one of the most ancient types of human housing known to archeologists...
in the Centre area. He had learned of the emerging market and started growing hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
to sell to the mines. He built a two-room adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house as a permanent shelter close to the hay crop. More accustomed to keeping a shop than raising a crop, Ajax soon began stocking the kitchen shelf with dry goods
Dry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
and supplies to sell to passing travelers. Business boomed; by 1870 a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was set up in his store, which had outgrown the Ajax home and needed its own location.
Underground department store
Having lived in an underground home, William Ajax chose to construct an underground store. He began digging into the desert soil and lining the hole with cedarJuniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
timbers. When he had a chamber around 1800 square feet (160 m²) in area and 10–15 feet (3–4.5 m) deep, he added roof beams and an earthen roof, with a south-facing skylight. The Ajax Underground Store was open for business.
From the beginning the store operated as much more than a mere general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, offering expensive textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s and fine imported tableware
Tableware
Tableware is the dishes or dishware , dinnerware , or china used for setting a table, serving food, and for dining. Tableware can be meant to include flatware and glassware...
in addition to the necessities of frontier life. Local miners and ranchers could buy supplies to last through the winter, while their wives browsed through elegant cut crystal glassware and ornate figurine
Figurine
A figurine is a statuette that represents a human, deity or animal. Figurines may be realistic or iconic, depending on the skill and intention of the creator. The earliest were made of stone or clay...
s in comfort, protected from the harsh elements of the desert. The store became a gathering place for residents of such nearby communities as Mercur
Mercur, Utah
Mercur is a historical hard rock mining ghost town located at in Tooele County, Utah, USA. Its elevation from sea level is approximately 2,042m...
, Stockton
Stockton, Utah
Stockton is a town in Tooele County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 616 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Stockton is located at ....
, and Ophir
Ophir, Utah
Ophir is a town in Tooele County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 23 at the 2000 census, a decrease of two from the 1990 figure of 25.-History:...
, and an important stopping point for overland travelers. An above-ground hotel was soon added, with stables and corrals that could hold 100 horses, 300 cattle, and 6,000 sheep. As it began to grow into a town in its own right, the settlement was named Puckerville, but the name didn't stick. Although the post office kept the name of Centre, people called the place Ajax.
William soon found need for further expansion; he kept digging until the store's main room stretched 80 feet (24 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) wide. Additional branching rooms eventually brought the Ajax Underground Store to a total area of 11,000 square feet (1000 m²), with over $75,000 worth of merchandise in stock. It was reported that the "Big Store", as locals called it, did more business than any similar Salt Lake City emporium.
Decline
The store began to lose business when the railroad was built nearby and people could easily travel to Salt Lake for a variety of errands. When William Ajax died in 1899 he left the store to his sons, but the town of Ajax quickly dissolved. By 1900 only the Ajax family remained, continuing to run the store in the face of increasing competition. The rise of mail orderMail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
catalogs was especially bad for business. The closure of Mercur in 1913 was the final blow; the Ajax Underground Store was finally forced to close in 1914. Most of the above-ground buildings were moved to other locations, but the underground store had to stay in place. In the 1920s it became a popular refuge for passing hobo
Hobo
A hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
es, but one of their fires burned it completely, leaving only a depression in the ground to mark the site of Ajax.
External links
- William Ajax Underground Store at Tooele County Guide to Historical Attractions