This website has been archived from TrainWeb.org/utahrails to TrainWeb.US/utahrails.

     

Sego, set at the base of the Book Cliff Mountains is located north of Thompson and named after the Utah state flower,Sego Lily. Sego was served by the B&T railroad. B&T stands for Ballard & Thompson.

Sego has a history unlike any other in Utah. There was no gold, silver or the like. Not only that, it was discovered by a rancher/farmer by the name of Harry Ballard. What he discovered was coal in the early 1890's. Ballanger then proceeded to buy the land surrounding his find and started mining operations on a small scale.

In 1911, Ballard sold the mine to a group of Salt Lake City investors. Production started with grand plans for a long and prosperous run of coal production. The new owners built a store, a boarding house and other buildings all with there own supply of water. They also built the first coal wash facility west of Mississippi. Trouble started almost immediatly when the water supply started to dry up. It seems the water table had been droping for some time but was ignored.

There were other problems through the years which contributed to little or no profit. On November 1, 1947 the mine was closed and the property sold at auction at Moab, Utah. Sego is now a ghost town.

Last Update 07/22/01

This page and its underlying code, © 2000-2002, Utah Rails. All rights reserved.