The huge crevasse that starts at a ghost town in a desolate area of Utah

The state of Utah, in the Mountain States area, is one of the least densely populated territories in the United States.

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In the northeast of that state is Uintah County, which covers 4,500 square miles (larger than the Spanish region of Murcia) but has a population of only 35,620. In the easternmost part of the county, almost on the Colorado border, is the ghost town of Dragon. This site originated from a gilsonite mine founded in 1888 and called Black Dragon. In 1904, the railroad reached Dragon, and a small town began to form. This town became important as a transportation center, with its depot being the terminus of the Uintah Railroad.

By 1920, Dragon's population reached 487, but several events marked the beginning of its decline, which lasted several decades. Two of these events occurred in 1908. The first was an explosion in a gilsonite vein at the Black Dragon Mine, a fire that was impossible to extinguish and that was still active years later. That same year, there was an accident that killed two miners. Finally, new gilsonite veins appeared in the north of the state, at the same time that production at the Black Dragon Mine was declining. In 1911, construction of the railroad continued, and Dragon lost its importance as a terminal station.

By 1939, only 72 residents remained in Dragon, mostly railroad workers and their families. That same year, the Uintah Railroad ceased operations. By 1940, only 10 residents remained in the town. As happened in other mining towns across the U.S., World War II eventually turned Dragon into a ghost town. Even today, a huge crevasse runs through the desolate area, extending from the ruins of what was once Dragon. That crevasse is the old Gilsonite mine.

A month ago, the YouTube channel Outer Range posted an interesting video exploring that crevasse and the ghost town:

You can see some screenshots from this video here. Here we can see a sign placed by the Uintah County Historical Society in 2000 at the site of the ruins of what was once Dragon Village.

The grave of Juan B. Trujillo, the last person buried in Black Dragon Grave Yard. Today, almost nothing remains of this cemetery. Only this and two other graves are identified. Curiously, Juan's grave has a rosary on its headstone, a sign, perhaps, that someone still remembers him.

Here we can see two images of the enormous crack that begins at Dragon. These are the remains of the now-abandoned gilsonite mining operation. One wonders if the fire that started in a vein in 1908 is still raging underground today.