William S. Godbe, a man who had a great cultural and religious impact on early Utah territory, embarked on a decades-long odyssey in mining in 1865, with little experience or training in mining. Godbe's eight sons followed him into mining as they came of age. Together, they bought and sold numerous claims, organized more than twenty mining companies, and built and operated concentrators and smelters. The Godbes sought their fortunes in mining, made fortunes in profitable ventures, missed fortunes when they sold valuable claims, and lost fortunes as metal prices plummeted. The family's mining activities and investments took place in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. Godbe's contemporaries in mining activities included Matthew H. Walker, David F. Walker, Simon Bamberger, Samuel Newhouse, and Patrick Connor. In addition to Godbe's role in the cultural tensions of the early territory, his mining activities and those of his sons also demonstrate that...

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