History
Silver Reef’s story is unlike any other mining town in the American West. Born from a surprising discovery of silver in sandstone, the town rose quickly, drawing miners, merchants, families, and fortune‑seekers from across the country. Its boom was brief but brilliant, leaving behind a legacy of resilience, conflict, innovation, and community spirit. This section introduces the broader arc of Silver Reef’s past and connects visitors to the events that shaped the region.
We invite you to explore the articles below explaining the history of Silver Reef.
Don’t miss the section’s main article: History of Silver Reef
Articles About History
A Unique Union of Religions
Although the area surrounding Silver Reef was predominantly Mormon, the miners who arrived during the boom years came from many different religious backgrounds. Most were not from Utah. Many, such as the skilled Cornish miners, were immigrants from England and […]
Babylon
Babylon was a community southeast of Silver Reef that sprouted up and supported the large and successful Stormont Mill that was built in 1878. Residents of Babylon were mostly the Stormont’s millworkers and their families. Today, faint relics of the […]
Cemeteries
Between Silver Reef, Leeds and Harrisburg, there were a total of five cemeteries, four of which that can still be visited today. Mostly Mormons were buried in the Leeds cemetery located on the southwest side of town. Most people associated […]
Charcoal Kiln
Many mining areas in the late 1800s utilized beehive-shaped charcoal kilns to slowly burn wood to make charcoal for the smelting of gold and silver ore. Today, places like Death Valley National Park in California and Ward Charcoal Ovens Historical […]
Cosmopolitan
Although restored, the Cosmopolitan was a restaurant in Silver Reef that was reputed to serve the best hash in the territory. Today, the Cosmopolitan is often used to house events, such as the monthly presentations put on by the museum. […]
Harrisburg
Harrisburg was a small pioneer settlement tucked into the foothills southeast of Silver Reef, where families built homes along the creek and tried to make a life in the shadow of the red cliffs. Though the town never grew large, […]
Historic Timeline of Silver Reef
The timeline below provides a linear representation of events that occurred in Silver Reef, from when pioneers began settling the area, until current Silver Reef museum came into being. Scrolling through the timeline is a great way of seeing Silver […]
History of Silver Reef
The history of Silver Reef is both similar to other mining boomtowns of the American West and unique with its surrounding culture and the geologically unusual place where the silver was found. When miners arrived around 1875, the area was […]
John Kemple
Many stories circulate about who first discovered silver in Silver Reef, but the one figure consistently documented as finding silver ore was John Kemple. In 1866, Kemple rode into the Leeds–Harrisburg area during a prospecting journey from Montana. Though he […]
Museum Exhibits
Inside and around the Silver Reef Museum, there are many interesting artifacts and exhibits to discover. This article outlines the exhibits you can look forward to during your visit and shows where they are located throughout the different rooms of […]
Silver Reef: Then and Now
This article is a collection of old and new photographs that can be compared by sliding a vertical bar back and forth. The pictures will give you a good idea of what was once here in Silver Reef during its […]
Walking Tour
There are two interpretive walking trails that will take you on a journey through Silver Reef’s rich history. One trail focuses on the Main Street corridor, while the other ventures through the desert terrain to visit various historic sites. Walking […]
William Tecumseh Barbee
Besides John Kemple, the next most significant person responsible for developing Silver Reef into the boom town it became, was William Tecumseh Barbee. With the help (funding) of his partners, Barbee would develop two mining areas in Silver Reef: Tecumseh […]