Ghost Town: Shenandoah

DAA

Critter Whisperer
Supporter
Site: Shenandoah
Alternates: Shenendoah, North Star, North Camp
County, State: Beaver county, Utah
Years of Occupation: 1870 -1880
Status of Site: Open
Classification: 1
Type: Mining
Remnants: Footings, foundations, mining debris
GPS Coordinate: 38.3521 113.1383
Date of Last Visit: April, 2015

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Shenandoah reportedly had 300 residents in 1875 and had the main distributing post office for Beaver county. As such, it was the biggest camp in the district. It had no regular source of water, other than what could be dipped from mine shafts or derived from melting snow. Water was said to have been peddled door to door, for 10 cents a bucket. Miners reportedly said it was cheaper to drink beer! As such, Shenandoah (along with the rest of the Star district) was a bachelor camp, with very few women present.

Shenandoah’s fate followed the pattern of nearby Shauntie and the many other camps of the Star district. As the veins pinched out and new discoveries were made to the north in the San Francisco mountains, Shenandoah was abandoned. Today almost nothing remains standing, but a profuse number of old mines and associated relics dot the hills all around.

Note, there about 1600 mines and many man camps scattered about the Star range (then known as the Picachio). Next to nothing remains of any of them today. My research indicates a fair amount of uncertainty about just exactly where some of them were located. Shenandoah is one such. Some claim the location above was actually Star City and that Shenandoah was a few miles distant. Others say Star City was quite a distance off. Yet others say that the site listed above was neither, but that of Elephant City. The bottom line, is that this author makes no claims of certainty!

Directions to Get There:
From Milford, head west ~3.5 miles, take major dirt road on left (south). After 6.8 miles on dirt road, take a right, in another 1.5 miles stay right, the site of Shenandoah is ~2 more miles up the canyon.

Resources:
http://content.lib.utah.edu/utils/getfile/collection/USHSArchPub/id/6160/filename/6195.pdf
 
Last edited by a moderator:
DAA, your photos and description on how to get there is for Elephant City. A short lived mining camp at the head of Elephant Canyon. Active from 1874 to 1876.

Shenandoah City, also known as Arago City, or even Star or Star City was six mile directly west from Milford. Shenandoah City was the main camp of the Star Mining Districts from 1872 through 1875. It had over 300 residents, including hotels, saloons, stores, stage station, telegraph office etc. There was even a cemetery Southeast of town. During it's prime it was the distributing post office for all of Beaver County. It's demise was spurred by the discovery of the Horn Silver Mine at Frisco.
 
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