Mining and Smelting Sketch for the Life’s of the Lundeen Family
I’ve compiled this information after researching the Lundin (Lundeen) family and their involvement in mining. I was interested in learning how my 2nd great grandfather and his son’s would be involved with the mining industry of the day and what that looked like in West Jordan, Utah during the late 1800’s when they would have been apart of the community.
A Brief family history of facts found… Carl Johan Lundin is found in the 1880 census with the occupation of “works on the smelter” living in West Jordan, Utah. Augusta his wife’s obituary claims long time settler of West Jordan. His son’s worked in mining for the rest of their adult lives. It would follow that they grew up around the mining community and would know much about the industry. The following was found on the internet and gives a background of what the mining and smelting industry was like for the Lundin family during the time they lived in the area.
Kara Great granddaughter of David Charles Lundeen and 2nd great to Carl Johan Lundin.
“Mining for metals, coal, hydrocarbons, and minerals was a vital aspect of Utah’s economic, industrial, political, and social growth and development. The mining industry has touched all aspects of life in Utah and has contributed greatly to the state’s history.
The Midvale area became another key smelting region. In 1873 the Sheridan Hill smelter was built at West Jordan to treat ores from the Neptune Mine. The Galena smelter, constructed in 1873, treated ores from the Galena and Old Jordan mines at Bingham. It later became known as the Old Jordan Smelting Works. In 1899 the United States Mining Company–later the United States Smelting, Refining, and Mining Company (USSRMCO)–was organized, and in 1902 it completed its large smelter at Midvale. The ASARCO and USSRMCO plants, together with the International Smelting and Refining Company operation in Tooele, became giants on both a state and regional level in the consolidation of the smelting industry.
Utah’s major mining areas were West Mountain (Bingham), Park City, and the Tintic District. Park City flourished with the Ontario, Silver King, Daly-West, Daly-Judge, and Silver King Consolidated mines, among others. From these holdings came mining millionaires such as David Keith, Thomas Kearns, John Judge, and Susanna Emery Holmes (known as the Silver Queen). This newly acquired mining wealth substantially helped to change Salt Lake City’s economic base and its agrarian, rural village character. Palatial mansions began to line South Temple (Brigham Street).
Metal mining also sparked population growth in Utah. In addition to introducing new industries and technology, a large amount of labor was needed to work in the mines, mills, and smelters. Mining companies sought this labor at a time when southern and eastern Europeans as well as Japanese were immigrating into the United States as part of the mass migration of the period from the 1890s to the 1920s. The social dynamics associated with immigrant peoples, their interactions, and the communities they formed were crucial accompaniments to mining and as such cannot be separated from the industry itself.
After the Panic of 1893 and the subsequent depression had ended, mining in Utah burgeoned. By 1912, 88 mining districts were listed for the state (between the years 1899 and 1928 the Salt Lake Mining Reviewlisted some 122 districts). Production figures, in terms of total value compiled to 1917, illustrate the successful mining of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in Utah’s three leading mining districts:
Metal mining in Utah, as in other locales, reacted to the vagaries of the economy. Upswings and downturns created periods of optimism and pessimism. The Great Depression of the 1930s affected the industry greatly, causing production to plummet. However, World War II caused the demand for metals to rise, rejuvenating the industry.
http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/mining_and_railroads/mining.html
Bingham Canyon Mine. Carl Johan Lundin died in Bingham Junction. It’s very possible and even likely that he worked at the Bingham Canyon Mine; this is what it would have looked like in the 1800’s.
Charles Johan Lundeen died December 4, 1905. His wife had died a year and a half earlier of Pleurisy. At some point in time he joined the RLDS Church. He worked in the Smelters and with the miners on a regular basis and it was a rougher type person that he kept company with. Toole and Bingham Junction were known for having people come from all over the world to mine and find their fortune. He was buried December 7rh in the West Jordan Cemetery.
LUNDEEN– At Bingham Junction Dec. 4 1905, Charles J Lundeen in his 76th year. Funeral services will be held from the Bingham Junction meeting house at 12 o’clock Thursday. Inerment in West Jordan Cemetery. Salt Lake Herald Republican Printed Dec. 6, 1905
Source: Salt Lake Telegram December 6, 1905
West Jordan Cemetery
Pioneer Hall, also known as the old rock church, is located at 1137 West 7800 South and was built in 1867. This historic sandstone building was originally used as a meetinghouse for Mormon pioneers.It’s the first area church built on the west side of the Jordan River. It sits at the entrance to the cemetery grounds. I’m sure that Augusta and Charles would have possibly attended church here.
West Jordan Cemetery Plot for Charles J Lundeen. We’re standing on the exact spot of the three unmarked plots. He had three plots he purchased in 1893. Charles J (Carl Johan) is buried in one in 1905, Joseph Leopold is buried in the other in 1932 and the third is unclear. The records are lost and incomplete. Maybe a child that passed away when he purchased the plots. We don’t know where Augusta was buried, but I suspect from our investigation it isn’t here.
Augusta (Gustafva) Dahlgren Lundin
We don’t know a lot about Augusta but we can ascertain some important information from the records and resources that we have. She was married to Carl Johan Lundin in Hedvig, Eleanora Church Stockholm, Sweden December 28th 1828. The cathedral in the background of the picture above is Hedvig, Eleanora Church.
The Lundin Family immigrated in 1874 consisting of Augusta Dahlgren, her husband Carl Johan and three children, Thekla, Joseph, and David. They traveled from Stockholm to Copenhagen to catch a steamboat leaving for England. The Lundin’s travelled from Copenhagen to Hull, England on the steamboat “Milo” June 18, 1874. Carl was 46 and Augusta was 43 when they left their native home. Josef was listed as being 11 yrs old, Carl (David Charles) 4 yrs. old, and Tekla (Aunt Nellie) was just a baby. There were 517 passengers aboard the steamship”Milo” leaving Copenhagen on the 18th and arriving four days later on June 22nd 1874.
After staying in England for five days they left once again June 24, 1874 leaving from Liverpool on the Steamship S.S. Idaho traveling to New York. On Wednesday afternoon the third company of saints leaving that season, took their departure with Captain Forsyth. There were 810 Latter Day Saints onboard: 700 from the Scandinavian Mission and 110 from England and Wales. There were eight returning missionaries traveling with them.
Young Emma Palmer Manfull wrote in her autobiography about the voyage. “Every morning we held meetings on the boat and I usually started the singing. I remember being quite seasick for a few days. When we reached what was called Devil’s Pass we encountered a storm. This Devil’s Pass is a place where if a boat gets too near will whirl it about and very few ever get out of it again. In this storm the boat drifted over into Devil’s Pass and about two in the afternoon the sailors began to holler “down deck, down deck” meaning for everyone to go down to the lower deck. It was terrible and water was coming in through the portholes and everything was slipping and sliding all over the deck. Mother put us children up in a top bunk with a lot of Danish children. That is with the exception of my half-sister who couldn’t be found again. when mother did find her she was up on top of a lot of baggage where one of the men had put her to be out of the water on the deck. Mother sat by the bed until about four o’clock in the morning so as to watch and care for us children. After the storm was all over and we were out of the Devil’s Pass the Captain said if it hadn’t been for the Saints on board nothing would have saved us. He also commented,”There had never been a ship go down that had any saints on it.” They made the voyage in eleven in a half days with little sickness and no deaths.”
They landed at the immigration station known as Castle Garden in New York. Brother William C. Staines, who awaited our arrival, came on board with the Custom House officers, and made every arrangement possible for the speedy transfer of our emigrants. Our people and their luggage were landed first, and it took all day to do it, while the “gentile”portion of our fellow passengers waited rather impatiently until this unshipping process was through. We were told several times by our good Captain Forsyth that that our troubles would commence after we left his ship. We were reminded of his words, when in Castle Garden, as bedtime approached.”
Tuesday July 7th, our company, which occupied seventeen cars left New York. Our train being a long one, many bystander watched us speed by. At Laramie City, two extra cars were attached to our train for the accommodation of some non-“Mormon” emigrants.
We were all very glad to reach Ogden on Wednesday, the 15th about 6 o’clock p.m. Brother Erastus Snow and son met us and cordially gave us their welcome home. At about 8 o’clock pm the company went down to Salt Lake City . On Thursday, the 16th, the emigrant got their luggage, with a few exceptional cases where their luggage had not arrived.
A meeting was held in the tithing yard, in the afternoon, when Brother Snow gave many good counsel and instructions to the newly arrived Saint and spoke in the Danish language. After the meeting was closed the company separated, the Saints going with their relations and friends to their homes.
Carstensen, P.C. Latterday Saints Millenial Star 36:34 (August 25, 1874) pp.538-539t
Source: saintsbysea.lib.byu.edu
The trip from Stockholm, Sweden to Salt Lake City, Utah took the Lundin family a little over a month to complete. It was a trip filled with new sights, sounds, and experiences.
Augusta was an obstetrician or a midwife we believe. In October of 1894 the medical board admitted to practice several doctors after examination. In the second to last paragraph it lists Augusta Lundeen of West Jordan as having been licensed and in practice prior to March 1894. Augusta practiced medicine delivering babies and must have been educated helping and serving the women of West Jordan. (The second article lists specifically obstetrics)
Salt Lake Herald Oct. 3, 1894
Salt lake Tribune Oct. 3 1894 -
Lists Augusta Lundeen of West Jordan as a person practicing obstetrics
Augusta's Obituary May 1903
MRS LUNDEEN DEAD– Mrs Augusta Lundeen of West Jordan died at her home Thursday, May 14, at 2 p.m., of pleurisy. Mrs. Lundeen was an old settler of West Jordan, having arrived here from Sweden in 1872, and having resided at Salt Lake and West Jordan since that time. She leaves three children, David Lundeen, Joseph Lundeen and Mrs. Nellie Peterson. The funeral will take place at West Jordan meeting house at 3 o’clock Sunday May 17. (We know from ship records that they arrived in 1874 and the newspaper is off by a couple of years)