|
|
Silver Reef in the 20th century was incorporated with the town of Leeds. Silver Reef was never incorporated in it's early years. This situation left the town with no sheriff or other public servants. The nearest law man was the sheriff in St. George. The town did manage to have a court house, a jail, a judge and a organized jury. The law was usually settled in it's own way in the crowded saloon or on the dusty dirt road of Main Street. Gun fights were numerous and suspected card sharks, murderers, or robbers meet their fate without trial or jury. The Chinese on the other hand was a bit more organized. They had elected their own mayor and had their own set of laws. Familiar to most Chinese settlements in the West was the omnipresent Chinese lottery. An institution that was reported to be running "at full blast" by one of the local residents. Schools at Silver Reef were not neglected. The school year consisted of a Fall and a Winter term giving the kids a learning schedule from Oct. until April. One school had an enrollment of 85 kids and the teacher/student ratio was kept to a manageable level of 42:1. Times really haven't changed that much have they? |
(continued) |
|
This
ragtag group of characters contrasted considerably with their Mormon neighbors who were forming mission settlements in the West. However there were some Mormons who found their way to Silver Reef adding to the culture mixture. While the Protestants and Catholics carried on their traditions, the Chinese endured most of the prejudicial treatment. These religious groups established themselves in separate parts of town and did their best to keep their distance. The Chinese had their own cemetery as did the Catholics, Protestants, and the Mormons. The hey day of Silver Reef only lasted just under ten years. Despite the short life span the town it boasted nine grocery stores, two drug stores, five restaurants, a boarding house, six saloons, a billiard hall, two dance halls, a Catholic church, hospital, a Chinese laundry, a doctor's office, an undertaker, a bank, two schools, and a stage coach stop. The mining industry grew to 33 mining claims, eight mining companies and five mills. However most of the mines finally closed by 1884 with the decline in the world silver market. Attempts were made to revive the silver production in the following decades but that proved to be unsuccessful and Silver Reef was left to languish into antiquity. An estimated total of over 10 million dollars worth of silver had been pulled from the mines from 1875 until 1888. The average price of silver at that time was $1.25 an ounce. By 1877 Silver Reef was larger than St. George and had over 100 businesses. The Main Street of town ran for over a mile with a total of 54 businesses. |