Frisco

Overview

The wildest town in the Great Basin

Frisco took its name from the San Francisco Mountains, where the Horn Silver Mine was found in 1875. By 1885 the Horn Silver had produced $20,267,078 in ore, and the district's mines had shipped more than $60 million in zinc, copper, lead, silver and gold. A Utah Southern Railroad extension from Milford reached Frisco in June 1880.

At its peak in 1885 Frisco held about 6,000 people and 23 saloons, and it was known as the wildest town in the Great Basin. Killings were frequent, and even drinking water had to be shipped in. The Frisco Mining and Smelting Company built beehive kilns to burn charcoal for its smelter, and 36 kilns eventually worked in the district.

In February 1885 the Horn Silver Mine, an open working 900 feet deep braced with timbers, caved in completely. The town shrank quickly, though the sources disagree on how fast: Wikipedia gives about 500 people in 1900, 150 in 1912 and 100 in the late 1920s, while Legends of America gives 50 for 1900 and 15 for 1912. Mining ended in 1929. Five granite kilns, listed on the National Register in 1982, still stand near SR 21, along with crumbling foundations and the cemetery.

Timeline

Boom and cave-in

1. 1875The Horn Silver Mine is found in the San Francisco Mountains. That September, by Legends of America's account, prospectors James Ryan and Samuel Hawks stake a nearby claim and soon sell it.
2. Jul 1877The Frisco Mining and Smelting Company starts building beehive charcoal kilns for its smelter. The five that survive date from 1877 to 1880.
3. 1879Frisco is established as the post office and business center of the San Francisco Mining District.
4. Jun 23, 1880A Utah Southern Railroad extension from Milford reaches Frisco, its terminus.
5. 1885Frisco peaks at about 6,000 people. With 23 saloons it is known as the wildest town in the Great Basin; even drinking water is shipped in.
6. Feb 12 or 13, 1885The Horn Silver Mine caves in completely. Sources give both dates. By then the mine has produced $20,267,078 in ore.
7. 1900–1912The population falls. Wikipedia gives about 500 in 1900 and 150 in 1912; Legends of America gives 50 and 15.
8. 1905–1911A Mormon ward is organized, then discontinued after many mines close.
9. 1929Mining at Frisco ends, the date usually given for the camp's close.
10. Mar 9, 1982The Frisco Charcoal Kilns are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
11. 2002A mining company begins reworking the old mines.

What's left

The beehive kilns

Five granite beehive kilns survive at Frisco. The Frisco Mining and Smelting Company built them between 1877 and 1880 under Benjamin Y. Hampton, mainly to supply charcoal for smelting Horn Silver ore, at roughly $500 to $1,000 each. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 9, 1982. The rest of the town is crumbling foundations, a few abandoned structures, rusting mining equipment and a cemetery.

The 1959 USGS sheet in the historic maps below shows the layout best. It marks the charcoal kilns northwest of the Frisco site, Frisco Summit to the northeast on SR 21, the cemetery ("Cem") to the southwest, and the Horn Silver and King David mines on the slope of Grampian Hill. The 1953 and 1958 sheets label Frisco on SR 21 below the San Francisco Mountains.

• Five beehive charcoal kilns (1877–1880, NRHP 1982)
• Foundations
• Cemetery
• Horn Silver and King David mine workings

Historic maps

Frisco on USGS maps, 1953–1959

Crops from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, centered on the townsite. Each sheet shows what surveyors mapped that year; compare them with today's topo and aerial on this page.

19531:250,00019581:250,00019591:62,500

Map & directions

Getting there

Milford is the nearest town, 14 miles east on SR 21. From St. George, take I-15 north to Cedar City, then SR 130 north and SR 21 west through Milford. Legends of America places the town just off Route 21, 15 miles west of Milford.

Base map: USGS The National Map (public domain). Routes: OSRM on © OpenStreetMap contributors data (ODbL), computed October 2026. Times assume dry roads.

Photos

Photos

Collapsing wooden buildings, August 1997Stone ruins on the townsite, 2010The charcoal kilns, 1981 (HAER)The 1961 Daughters of Utah Pioneers marker for Frisco, at a gravel pullout, July 2023

Visitor reports

Been to Frisco?

Been there lately? Tell the next visitor what you found: whether you could get in, the state of the road and what's still standing. Photos are welcome. We read every report before it appears here.

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Nearby

Other sites near Frisco

Straight-line distance from the townsite to other mapped sites in our Utah index.

• Newhouse4.7 mi W · Beaver
• Blackrock23.6 mi NE · Millard
• Cunningham Hill29.2 mi E · Beaver
• Sulphurdale37.3 mi E · Beaver
• Cove Fort38.0 mi E · Millard
• Beryl44.7 mi SW · Iron
• Kimberly47.4 mi E · Piute
• Bullion49.9 mi E · Piute

Sources

Sources and credits

1. ghosttowns.com, "Frisco": fact sheet fields (roads, climate, best time).
2. Wikipedia, "Frisco, Utah", retrieved October 2026: 1879–1929 dates, name, Horn Silver production, district shipments, railroad terminus, population, 23 saloons, the February 13, 1885 cave-in, Mormon ward, 2002 mining, coordinates.
3. Wikipedia, "Frisco Charcoal Kilns", retrieved October 2026: five surviving kilns, builders, dates and costs, 36 kilns in the district, NRHP listing, kiln coordinates.
4. Legends of America, "Frisco", updated September 2026: Ryan and Hawks's 1875 claim, the July 1877 kilns, the June 23, 1880 railroad, the February 12, 1885 cave-in, populations of 50 in 1900 and 15 in 1912, crumbling foundations and cemetery, the undated note that only the kilns and cemetery are accessible, location off Route 21.
5. "Frisco: West Desert Ghost Town", Visit Utah (Utah Office of Tourism), June 29, 2024: rambling around the kilns, the cemetery, rusting mining equipment and abandoned structures.
6. Atlas Obscura, "Frisco Ghost Town", December 7, 2021: the short dirt road to the kilns, the kilns and some buildings open to anyone, other buildings and mine shafts posted no trespassing.
7. "BLM hosts National Public Lands Day events", BLM Cedar City Field Office, September 25, 2017 (archived): a volunteer survey of the kilns, and "Access to the Frisco Kiln site requires a high clearance vehicle."
8. Coordinates: Wikipedia (from USGS GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program point query. Routes: OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, October 2026. Not field-checked.

Photo and map credits

• Collapsing wooden buildings, August 1997: Michael Gäbler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
• Stone ruins on the townsite, 2010: GerthMichael, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
• The charcoal kilns, 1981 (HAER): Robert D. Welch, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
• The 1961 Daughters of Utah Pioneers marker for Frisco, at a gravel pullout, July 2023: Npgeek73, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
• Topo map, area base map and aerial imagery: USGS The National Map (public domain).
• Historic maps: USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain): Richfield 1953, 1:250,000; Richfield 1958, 1:250,000; Frisco 1959, 1:62,500.