Dream Mine - Atlas Obscura

Dream Mine

An empty mine that some believe will suddenly be filled with fortune and treasures at the end of the world. 

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John Hyrum Koyle was born in Spanish Fork, Utah in 1864. Raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his family was sent to settle the area around the Muddy River in southern Nevada. He eventually brought a farm and settled down in Leland, Utah.

In 1886, he claimed he was receiving spiritual visions during his dreams. He said an angel told him he would find an injured cow with a horn that had pierced its own eye. Koyle claimed to have found such a cow the next day and began preaching his dreams as prophecies from God.

In 1894, he had another prophetic dream in which an angel told him to purchase an abandoned mine in a nearby mountain. He and his followers were instructed to dig new tunnels in search of treasure buried by the Nephites. This wealth would help support The LDS Church and its devoted followers during the return of Christ. Beginning in 1909, Koyle and his followers began selling stock in the mine to fund their excavation work. 

For decades, Koyle and his followers worked on the mine. In 1947, Koyle was called before a disciplinary council and offered a choice; either sign a statement admitting his prophecies were false or he would be excommunicated. Koyle signed the statement and his admission was published by the church in Deseret News. Once Koyle began to exclaim he was forced to sign the statement in 1948, The LDS Church finally excommunicated him. Koyle died the following year. 

Koyle’s death, however, didn’t end the saga of the Dream Mine. In 1962, the Relief Mine Company was founded and acquired the Koyle Mining Company. Excavation continued throughout the 1960s until the tunnels reached bedrock. Although work on the mine has halted, the Relief Mine Company is still active and selling stock in the Dream Mine. 

Know Before You Go

The mine is not open to the public, but the exterior can be seen from roads in the area. 

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January 7, 2020

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