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When the railroad was abandoned in 1950, the owners of the Sego mine constructed a truck ramp in
Thompson to load coal directly into the railroad cars. The ramp and much of the grade, as well as three of the many single-span trestles crossing the wash, still exist, the first two miles being paved for
466:
in April 1915, not having been paid in five months. Many of them returned to work with the company still owing them back pay. Employment was scarce in the region, and in
October 1915 wages were cut by 12–20%. Frustrated by the mine's unprofitability, Bauer forced a corporate reorganization in 1916.
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Passenger service to Sego was almost nonexistent, although a small gas-mechanical railbus, which was owned by the coal company, was used for a short time. The train would pause in front of the Sego schoolhouse before continuing on to the mine, which considerably disrupted scholarly activities when
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The closest railroad connection to Sego was the Denver & Rio Grande
Western in Thompson Springs. Because of this, a new railroad was incorporated on July 15, 1911 to connect the town of Sego with the D&RGW. Called the Ballard & Thompson Railroad, the 5.25-mile (8.45 km) line never
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By 1947 production costs exceeded income, and the company decided to close down. The miners that once had numbered 125 had been reduced to just 27. These remaining miners pooled their resources, and with the backing of two banks bought out the
Chesterfield Coal Company assets. Organized under the
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The branch starts at the D&RGW tracks on the northwest end of
Thompson, enters Thompson Canyon, and veers through a cut along Sego Wash up Sego Canyon to the townsite. A wye was built at Thompson Springs to facilitate the turning of the steam locomotives, the grade of which is still visible.
640:, and the schoolhouse was taken to Thompson. Sego was gone. There was a flash flood in the 1950s that wiped out the rest of the miners that still worked there. Not many homes were left standing, and one was partially collapsed from a boulder falling on top of it.
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has continued to burn here for decades, and smoke still rises from deserted mine shafts. Another severe flash flood in the early 1980s, known as the "Hundred Years' Flood" by locals, removed most of the remaining trestles and left the rest unsafe.
628:, the miners hoped to keep the mine operating. Indeed, their first year was very successful. Then fire destroyed the tipple in 1949, and another serious fire the next year burned more equipment. The final blow came when the railroad converted to
458:. The small train that served the mine was off the track as much as one fourth of the time. By 1915 profits were low to nonexistent, and paydays very irregular. Like many mines, the company tried to enforce a system where miners were paid in
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during the town's heyday in the 1920s and 1930s doesn't bear this out. In 1920 the census count was 198, and in 1930 just over 200. Still, Sego was one of the major Grand County towns during this period.
479:, Utah's state flower, which grew abundantly in the canyon. The reorganization didn't solve the company's financial difficulties, however. Sego's miners were never paid regularly until they joined the
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was dropping, the creeks and springs drying up. One summer the water slowed to such a trickle that the coal washer could not even operate. Paradoxically, the railroad was plagued by excessive water,
399:
businessman named B.F. Bauer, who formed a corporation called
American Fuel Company. The company began to expand mining operations far beyond Ballard's unambitious scale, installing a modern coal
632:, virtually eliminating the demand for coal. The Utah Grand sold its holdings in 1955 to a Texas company that intended to explore for oil and natural gas. Homes were moved to Thompson,
462:
redeemable only at the company store. Miners who dared to shop in
Thompson, where prices were half those at Neslen, were threatened with the loss of their jobs. The miners went on
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from
Thompson to Ballard. In its five-mile run up the winding canyon, the rail line crossed the stream thirteen times. American Fuel Company also developed the town, renamed
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At the height of coal production, from 1920 to 1947, 800 tons of coal were being mined per day, with the D&RGW making as many as nine round-trips a month to the town.
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The stone company store, and many foundations and dugouts still remain. The wooden boarding house collapsed sometime between
October 2009 and April 2010. An underground
423:, but in addition to building numerous company houses, mine owners took the unusual policy of allowing miners to build their own cabins wherever they chose. Shacks and
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west of the
Mississippi River. The Ballard & Thompson Railroad company organized in 1911, its officers including Bauer and Ballard, and started to construct a
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owned its own equipment, and relied on the Rio Grande for all motive power. Later on, in 1913, the railroad fell into the ownership of the D&RGW.
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of the Book Cliffs. He quietly bought the land and began to hire local laborers to mine the coal. The coal camp was naturally called
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use as an access road to Thompson's water supply. The trestles are in a dangerous condition and cannot be crossed.
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755:. Utah Centennial County History Series. Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society. pp. 230–232.
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708:"National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Ballard-Sego Coal Mine Historic District"
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The only cut on the Ballard & Thompson grade, at the confluence of Sego and Thompson Canyons.
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The town's most serious problem, almost from the beginning, was a diminishing water supply. The
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during the railroad construction for the mine's new general manager, Richard Neslen. Soon a
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Utah Rails—Utah Fuels the West: Utah's coal industry and the railroads that served it
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town, Sego was inhabited about 1910–1955. The town is accessed via the grade of the
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dotted the canyon. When the railroad was completed in 1912, Neslen was granted its own
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Henry Ballard, one of the founders of Thompson Springs, discovered an exposed vein of
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435:. The next year the Ballard & Thompson became a subsidiary of the D&RGW.
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1194:‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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On October 13, 2017, much of the historic area of Sego was listed on the
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341:, United States. It lies in the narrow, winding Sego Canyon, in the
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Some sources claim Sego's population grew as high as 500, but the
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798:(3rd ed.). Salt Lake City: Western Epics. pp. 153–154.
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at Frank and Anne's Canyon Country Hiking & Camping Notebook
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U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sego
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431:. Coal began shipping in October 1912, most of it going to the
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471:. The town's name was also changed in 1918, this time to
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built by the founders of the town to transport the coal.
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Some Dreams Die: Utah's Ghost Towns and Lost Treasures
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Richard Neslen was replaced, and the company renamed
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909:. Salt Lake City: Dream Garden Press. p. 110.
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961:Carr, Stephen L.; Robert W. Edwards (March 1990).
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965:. Salt Lake City: Western Epics. p. 195.
442:Chesterfield Coal Company in Sego, circa 1926.
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8:
384:coal here in 1908 while exploring the many
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1001:
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270:Approximately 5,280 acres (2,140 ha)
247:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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844:. Superior Publishing Company. pp.
796:The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns
370:Ballard-Sego Coal Mine Historic District
239:Ballard-Sego Coal Mine Historic District
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433:Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
46:The Sego boarding house, now collapsed
1087:Map of Utah highlighting Grand County
905:Thompson, George A. (November 1982).
349:. Formerly an important eastern Utah
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1254:Populated places established in 1910
454:frequently damaging the bridges and
366:National Register of Historic Places
345:some 5 miles (8.0 km) north of
1142:Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation
746:Firmage, Richard A (January 1996).
1031:Municipalities and communities of
940:"Census of Population and Housing"
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395:By 1911 Ballard had sold out to a
14:
1244:Ghost towns in Grand County, Utah
18:Ghost town in Utah, United States
1264:Coal mining in the United States
706:Abram, Angie (October 5, 2016).
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355:Ballard & Thompson Railroad
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1:
359:Denver and Rio Grande Western
108:Show map of the United States
218:5,712 ft (1,741 m)
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674:List of ghost towns in Utah
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1249:Mining communities in Utah
794:Carr, Stephen L. (1986) .
617:Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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749:A History of Grand County
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275:NRHP reference
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836:Florin, Lambert (1970).
840:Ghost Towns of the West
626:Utah Grand Coal Company
516:school was in session.
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256:U.S. Historic district
137:39.03306°N 109.70306°W
1234:Company towns in Utah
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532:Historical population
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1212:United States portal
942:. U.S. Census Bureau
488:United States Census
142:39.03306; -109.70306
1259:Ghost towns in Utah
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481:United Mine Workers
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335:Grand County
301:
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15:
1205:Utah portal
1153:Ghost towns
1134:reservation
1049:County seat
878:"Sego Mine"
666:Utah portal
636:, and even
448:water table
429:post office
405:coal washer
351:coal mining
343:Book Cliffs
187:Established
140: /
128:109°42′11″W
1228:Categories
680:References
382:anthracite
331:ghost town
226:feature ID
125:39°01′59″N
33:Ghost town
25:Sego, Utah
1190:Footnotes
1161:Castleton
946:April 19,
483:in 1933.
477:sego lily
409:spur line
282:100001335
215:Elevation
209:Sego lily
204:Named for
195:Abandoned
887:July 10,
768:July 15,
652:See also
495:Railroad
475:for the
456:trestles
229:1437678
846:382–387
716:July 4,
527:Decline
425:dugouts
390:Ballard
386:canyons
376:History
368:as the
154:Country
1132:Indian
969:
913:
852:
802:
759:
612:−43.1%
597:−44.8%
537:Census
464:strike
413:Neslen
401:tipple
176:County
1171:Dewey
1166:Cisco
753:(PDF)
711:(PDF)
624:name
582:12.6%
460:scrip
329:is a
181:Grand
164:State
1181:Sego
1096:Town
1074:Moab
1066:City
1056:Moab
995:Sego
989:Sego
967:ISBN
948:2011
911:ISBN
889:2008
850:ISBN
800:ISBN
770:2012
757:ISBN
718:2018
634:Moab
603:1950
588:1940
573:1930
558:1920
546:Note
541:Pop.
473:Sego
339:Utah
302:Sego
267:Area
224:GNIS
198:1955
190:1910
169:Utah
102:Sego
72:Sego
1114:CDP
592:123
577:223
562:198
333:in
277:No.
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322:oʊ
316:eɪ
1144:‡
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567:—
325:/
319:ɡ
313:s
310:ˈ
307:/
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
