Russell Hartill, an attorney in Sandy who's written a book about the history of mining in California, said he thinks dumping dirt and rocks down a mine shaft to preserve history is an oxymoron.

"They seem to be more interested in rescuing a mine cart and sticking it at a roadside rest stop and saying, 'That's our mining heritage,"' he said.

Draper resident Corey Shuman, 35, a member of Gold Rush Expeditions Inc., a nonprofit group that works to preserve mine sites across Utah, said they're not heavily involved with Eureka because most of the sites were destroyed when the Environmental Protection Agency did lead abatement work there years ago. However, he said he's sad to see mine sites disappear off the map.

"(Mining) is a huge piece of history that Utah has to offer the nation that we're cutting our own throats on," he said.

---

E-mail: jdana@desnews.com