Rio Tinto’s Copper Mine

AKA Kennecott Copper Mine

(a/k/a Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation, Kennecott Utah Copper LLC – “Kennecott,” Bingham Mine, “The Hill,” Utah Copper Mine, Bingham Canyon Open Pit Copper Mine)

Jobsite

Known to locals as the “Kennecott Mine,” the mine, now owned by Rio Tinto, is considered to be the largest open-pit copper mine in the world.  In the late 1800s, individuals made claims throughout Bingham Canyon area located in the Oquirrh Mountains west of Salt Lake City.  For the purpose of mining copper, gold, silver and molybdenum, Kennecott Corporation slowly acquired the property and mineral rights of the early claims which encompassed a wide swath of the canyon.  In addition to acquiring mines, Kennecott Corporation built or purchased copper smelters and other support facilities to support the ever-expanding mine.  Employing thousands of workers over the years, the mine is still active and supplies the United States with a large percentage of its copper.

Address or general location:

Bingham Canyon, Utah

Details

Bingham Canyon in the Oquirrh Mountains west of Salt Lake City, has long been known to contain a considerable amount of minerals, including copper, gold, silver and molybdenum.  Although the canyon is mined for several minerals, copper is the most abundant mineral extracted from it.   It is located about 25-miles southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, and is a part of the West Mountain Mining District.  

In the 1860s, beginning with the Walker brothers who hauled their first wagon-loads of copper down from Bingham Canyon in 1868, multiple individuals and companies laid claims to mines that dotted the area.  With the exception of a few mines that maintained independence or were later closed or abandoned, the vast majority of these claims were eventually purchased by the Kennecott Corporation and consolidated into what is now a 2.5-mile wide and 0.5-mile deep open pit owned by Rio Tinto.

The “Kennecott Mine,” as it is commonly referred to by locals, is believed to be the largest open-pit, copper mine in the world.  For a large part of its history, the mine has been considered the second largest copper producer in the U.S.  Notably, the Kennecott Mine is believed to have produced one-third of the copper used by the Allies during WWII.  Including today, thousands of workers have been employed at the Kennecott Mine throughout its operation, with a peak as high as 7,000-8,000 workers in the 1960s.  

In the 1900s, as Kennecott continued to expand its acquisitions and mining operations, a variety of support industries and facilities sprang up to assist with the processing and refining of copper and other minerals.  Smelters and refineries were constructed throughout the Salt Lake Valley.  Smelters and refineries which processed the copper from the Bingham Canyon mines were located in several nearby cities, including Magna, Midvale (f/k/a Bingham Junction), Tooele and Murray.  Several of these facilities were either built by or later purchased by Kennecott.  Additionally, construction companies, such as Utah Construction Company, were hired to build these facilities as well as to construct or maintain railroad lines used for the transport of the copper.  

The list of companies who mined, refined or supported the copper mining industry in Bingham Canyon is extensive.  Several of these entities were later purchased by Kennecott.  The following is a list of some of the companies or specific mines which were located in and around Bingham Canyon:  

Utah Copper Company

Highland Boy Mine

Garfield Smelter and Refinery

American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO)

United States Smelting, Refining & Mining Company

Bingham Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company

Bingham Copper and Gold Mining Company