Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Tooele County, Utah

Mercur

Ghost town in Utah, United States.

Record

About Mercur

Mercur is a historical hard rock mining ghost town in Tooele County, Utah, United States. In 1891, it became the site of the first successful use of the cyanide process of gold extraction in the United States, the dominant metallurgy today.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Mercur, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Mercur is

USGS topographic map around Mercur
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

9 historic USGS maps cover Mercur

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Mercur

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

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Mercur": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Mercur, Utah": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q6818523.
  4. USGS GNIS 1437635.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).