Clear Creek, Utah
Encyclopedia
Clear Creek is a small census-designated place
in Carbon County, Utah
, located at the south end of State Route 96
and the Pleasant Valley Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad
(ex-D&RGW).
camp that supplied lumber
to the nearby mining town of Winter Quarters
. About twenty years after Clear Creek was founded, coal
was discovered beneath the town. Soon after, a mine was developed. In 1898, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
built a spur line from Scofield
to the mine at Clear Creek. Two years later, the Utah Fuel Company built 25 homes, a hotel, a store, a hospital, a schoolhouse, a workshop, and a water plant in the town. From 1910-1920, 2,000 tons of coal was being mined per day, and Clear Creek had about 600 residents. In 1930, the need for coal began to decrease. By 1955, the mine cut production and the town's population had decreased to 150. As of 1986, four families lived in Clear Creek year-round.
According to the 2010 Census, there were four people residing at this location.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in Carbon County, Utah
Carbon County, Utah
Carbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for the major coal deposits in the area, the county seat and largest city, is Price. Carbon County is the second largest natural gas producer in Utah , with 94 billion cubic feet produced in 2008. As of 2010 the population was...
, located at the south end of State Route 96
Utah State Route 96
State Route 96 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah, connecting SR-264 and the town of Scofield to US-6 in a span of . The route is known as the Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway, part of The Energy Loop, a National Scenic Byway....
and the Pleasant Valley Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
(ex-D&RGW).
History
Clear Creek was founded in the 1870s as a loggingLogging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
camp that supplied lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
to the nearby mining town of Winter Quarters
Winter Quarters, Utah
Winter Quarters is a ghost town in Carbon County, Utah, United States. Coal was discovered in the area in 1875, and later that year, the Pleasant Valley Coal Company began coal mining operations. A group of coal miners were delayed during an early winter storm in 1877, which led to the town's name...
. About twenty years after Clear Creek was founded, coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
was discovered beneath the town. Soon after, a mine was developed. In 1898, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
built a spur line from Scofield
Scofield, Utah
Scofield is a town in Carbon County, Utah, United States. The population was 28 at the 2000 census. Scofield's name is frequently applied to the 1900 mine disaster in the Pleasant Valley Coal Company's Winter Quarters mine. The community was named for General Charles W...
to the mine at Clear Creek. Two years later, the Utah Fuel Company built 25 homes, a hotel, a store, a hospital, a schoolhouse, a workshop, and a water plant in the town. From 1910-1920, 2,000 tons of coal was being mined per day, and Clear Creek had about 600 residents. In 1930, the need for coal began to decrease. By 1955, the mine cut production and the town's population had decreased to 150. As of 1986, four families lived in Clear Creek year-round.
According to the 2010 Census, there were four people residing at this location.