I’m Lisa Bonnice and I’ve been researching the story of my ancestors and the Castle Gate Mine Disaster for over ten years. I didn’t even know about it before then. I only learned of my ancestors’ lives and deaths in Castle Gate because a distant relative contacted me on Ancestry.com. His wife is Tam and Bertha’s descendant, and he reached out to me to see if I had any information to share about Tam’s relatives. I had absolutely nothing to offer.
When I learned about my great-grandfather Will Garroch perishing in a disaster that made international headlines, I was rather upset with my mother. She never told me that her father came over “on the boat” and was a coal miner, or that her grandfather was killed in one of the biggest coal mine disasters in US history. She and her father (Willie) had been estranged my whole life, so it wasn’t a big surprise that she didn’t talk about him, but this is a pretty big set of details to leave out.
Thus began my intensive and obsessive research into this story. Along the way, I learned how to do genealogy research.
One thing I’ve learned is that we all have at least one amazing story in our family history (ask me about my great-granduncle who was the most famous hangman in the American West and was mentioned in the book/movie True Grit!). Most of us can discover those stories for free.
To start your genealogy journey, you can use the free Family Search site. Or, go to your local library because many of them offer free access to Ancestry.com on their computers. If you’re lucky enough, you might live near one of the globally located Family Search hubs, where you can access many genealogy sites and also ask for help from an expert, all for free.
Adopted? No worries. You can still do the research, but it will cost you the price of a DNA test. Watch for sales, if money is an issue. Ancestry.com and 23andMe almost always have a sale leading up to holidays for gift-giving purposes. Then, when you have your results, you will begin to be notified of people who match your DNA who have tested, too. There are numerous groups on Facebook to help you be a DNA detective.
Eventually, if the bug bites you hard enough, it’s going to cost you. I’ve traveled several times to Castle Gate and the surrounding area, including Salt Lake City, the genealogy capital of the US.
I’ve also traveled twice to Scotland. Yes, it can be a pricey hobby, but it’s fascinating and helps me decide where I should travel, when given the opportunity.
Much of what I learned about this story was gleaned during these in-person trips. There’s nothing like walking in the footsteps of those who came before you. The rest I found by scouring the internet, sometimes paying for the documents, sometimes lucking upon them for free.
Here are the resources listed in the book
Tragedy and Hate by Steve Sargetakis; Utah Historical Quarterly, Spring 1970, Volume 38, Number 2
History of Carbon County by Ronald G. Watt; Utah State Historical Society, 1997
Coal in our Veins: A Personal Journey by Erin Ann Thomas; Utah State University Press, 2012
The Castle Gate Mine Explosion: March 8, 1924 As I remember It in 1982 by Stanley C. Harvey
(the link to this document has been changed since I first discovered it, and I’m trying to find the new one … I’ll post it as soon as I do.)
Carbon County Historical Society Memorial Booklet, October 2014
Salt Lake Telegram newspaper articles, Salt Lake City, Utah March 8-18, 1924
Salt Lake Tribune newspaper articles, Salt Lake City, Utah March 8-18, 1924
The Sun newspaper articles, Price, Utah, March 8-18, 1924
Ogden Standard Examiner newspaper articles, Ogden, Utah, March 8-18, 1924
Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah, March 12, 1924
Gunnison Valley News, Gunnison, Colorado, March 13, 1924
Daily Herald, Provo, Utah, March 13, 1924
Links to external websites
Kathy Hakamer is a local historian/genealogist who has put in a herculean effort to log the history of Carbon County, Utah:
http://www.carbon-utgenweb.com
- This page, if you scroll down to the Castle Gate links, will lead you to stories and photos you won’t find anywhere else, as it’s been collected from local residents:
http://www.carbon-utgenweb.com/towns.html - This page has information (and some photos) about the men who have died in mine disasters locally. If you want to narrow it down to this specific incident, do a search for March 8, 1924. Sometimes you’ll find an article about the man and, even better, a photo.
http://www.carbon-utgenweb.com/minersmonument.html
Here, of course, is the Wikipedia entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Gate_Mine_disaster
From the United States Mine Rescue Association
https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/castle_gate.htm
Olde maps from Scotland
https://maps.nls.uk/view/75494390
Castle Gate - The Book 