Entry No. 42 — the Salt Lake City file — filed under: mine
Central Standard Mine
Sunk in the early 1920s within the East Tintic Mining District, the Central Standard Mine was a gold, silver, and lead prospect that reached a depth of 640 feet. The operation was plagued by unstable, water-logged rock and was abandoned in 1922 due to 'bad ground' without ever producing commercial ore. Today, the site features a collapsed and sealed shaft, concrete foundations, and weathered tailing piles near the ghost town of Homansville.
The story
In the early 1920s, prospectors punched a hole 640 feet straight down into the earth of Homansville Canyon, betting they'd strike veins of gold, silver, and lead. Instead, the Central Standard Mine hit an unholy geological headache. The rock was soft, water-soaked, and prone to collapsing—what miners unceremoniously logged as 'bad ground.'
By 1922, after two years of wrestling mud and structural failures, the operation folded without ever shipping a single pound of commercial ore. What remains near the ghost town of Homansville is a monument to a bad gamble: a sealed and collapsed shaft, gray concrete foundation pads, and pale tailing piles spilling down the canyon edge.
What it's like
Don't bother bringing your hiking boots for this one—you aren't stepping onto the property. The ruins sit on private patented land, and the earth around collapsed shafts is notoriously untrustworthy. Your move is a slow, scenic drive along Highway 6 through Homansville Canyon. Pull off safely onto the public roadside, pull out a good camera lens, and capture the sun-bleached tailing piles against the desolate canyon wall.
The move: Go on a scenic drive through Homansville Canyon along Highway 6 to safely photograph the historic tailing piles and rugged canyon landscape from the public roadside.
📍 Before you go The mine is located on private patented mining property, and the shaft itself is collapsed, sealed, and highly dangerous to approach.
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Utah, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Grand Central Mine — Stay inside the Tintic Mining District and head four miles over to Eureka to check out another steep-slope historic mine site.
- Dream Mine — Follow up one barren hole in the ground with another by driving to Spanish Fork to see the famous speculative relief mine founded on prophetic dreams.
- John Hutchings Museum of Natural History — Break up your drive back toward the valley by stopping in Lehi to inspect regional mineral specimens and strange local relics.
Good to know
Can I walk up and explore the shaft?
No. The mine sits on private patented property, and the shaft is sealed, collapsed, and hazardous. View it strictly from the public roadside.
Did the mine ever produce any valuable metal?
Never. It reached a depth of 640 feet, but instability and water forced it to shut down in 1922 without producing commercial ore.
How far is this drive from Salt Lake City?
It is located in the East Tintic Mining District near Homansville, about an 80-mile drive south of Salt Lake City.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: utahrails.net · ugspub.nr.utah.gov
last checked: 2026-07-20