Clear Creek, Utah.
Clear Creek, Utah, was founded in the 1870s as a logging camp that supplied lumber to the nearby mining town of Winter Quarters. At that time, the settlement was referred to as Mud Creek.
In 1898, coal was found beneath the settlement, and the Utah Fuel Company opened a mine in 1899. It was called Clear Creek because of the clear stream of water which flowed through the valley. When the mine opened, the coal was so near the entrance that the men could walk out for lunch. Twenty Clydesdale horses pulled the coal cars from the mine to the tipple. The Clear Creek mine was the highest of all of Utah’s coal mines, at 8,200 feet.
Initially, the miners lived in tents until wooden houses were built. The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad built a spur line from Scofield to Clear Creek’s mine. The trains operated twice daily in the morning and evening. When the railroad became blocked with snow, the miners worked for the railroad company, helping clear the tracks.
A tramway transported coal from the mine to the railroad cars, and water from the creek generated steam power. A sawmill provided timber for the mine, and the excess was shipped to Castle Gate and Sunnyside.
Coal Mining at Clear Creek, Utah.
In 1900, the Utah Fuel Company built 25 homes, a hotel, a store, a hospital, a schoolhouse, a workshop, and a town’s water plant. The camp was never incorporated; the only officers were a Justice of Peace and a constable.
Due to the camp’s isolation and the heavy snow in the winter, the amusements consisted mainly of winter sports and dances twice a week. However, a theatrical group was formed early on, and an amusement hall was built.
In 1908, the number of miners peaked at 450 men, and approximate production was 2,000 tons of coal per day. By the next year, the mine ranked second only to Sunnyside in its production.
From 1910 to 1920, 2,000 tons of coal were mined per day, and Clear Creek had about 600 residents.
In 1930, the need for coal began to decrease, and by the next year, production at the Clear Creek Mine was reduced to just 5,000 tons for the entire month of December 1931.
By 1955, the mine had cut production, and the town’s population had decreased to 150.
A Clear Creek, Utah House today, courtesy Lynn Sessions.
In the 1960s, the Alpine School District began renting the Clear Creek buildings to operate a summer camp. In 1973, the school district bought the Mountain Fuel Company’s property, which included six houses and a large maintenance building. The houses were repurposed as dormitory cabins, and the maintenance building was outfitted to serve as a kitchen, dining, and large assembly facility. By the next year, it was ready for groups of students. Since then, the grounds have expanded to year-round use of the camp facilities.
Today, it still serves as the home of Clear Creek Camp, where over 7,500 students participate in various programs each year.
The site is located at the south end of State Route 96, about six miles south of Scofield.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated March 2025.
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