West Creek Photos
Mike Craner searching at West Creek in August 1999. The West Creek camp was occupied between June 29, 1858, and July 5, 1858. West Creek is located 18 miles southwest of Salt Lake City in the Salt Lake Valley. The present name for West Creek is Bingham Creek. This view is looking west-northwest towards the Oquirrh Mountains. Part of the Kennecott open pit copper mine can be seen on the face of the mountain. This photo was taken on the north side of 10200 South street (the Old Bingham Highway).
Roger Nielson searching at West Creek on October 26, 1998. This photo was taken south of 10200 South street and just north of the creek. Prominent landmarks include a high-voltage substation on the left of the photo and a large water tank in the middle of the photo. A brick factory is in the far background on the right side of the photo. This view is looking north-northeast.
Roger Nielson holding a very large eagle “D” button that was just recovered. Roger Nielson’s recoveries for the day included a very large eagle “D” button, a civilian glass button with a brass frame, a .52 caliber Sharps bullet, a .44 caliber round ball, and an 1856 half-dime. Can you guess what type of troops camped in this spot?
This October 28, 2011 photo is a similar view to the one above of Mike Craner. The construction in the foreground is part of the new Mountain View Corridor freeway. The first phase of the freeway is scheduled to be opened in the late fall of 2012. A couple of newer large buildings can be seen just west of the freeway.
This October 26, 2011 photo is a similar view to the one above of Roger Nielson. The expanded electrical substation covers much of the area where we found Johnston’s Army artifacts.
This October 26, 2011 photo is a similar view to the one above of Duane Bylund. The smokestack of the brick factory can be seen above the brick wall of the electrical substation. The TRAX trains pass this area two times every fifteen minutes (one northbound and one southbound).
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October 28, 2011 update:
How West Creek looks today
Duane Bylund at West Creek on October 26, 1998. This view is looking east-northeast. The brick factory is on the left side of the photo. This area has changed greatly in the last twelve years since these photos were taken. The electrical substation was expanded over the area where we found our artifacts. A Utah Transit Authority TRAX line and station is between this spot and the brick factory. A number of large industrial buildings have also been built. If we wouldn’t have found the artifacts when we did find them then they would have been lost forever.
