How Kearns was Named

The base was named after a prominent citizen of the state of Utah, Thomas Kearns, one of the richest men of his time in Utah. Thomas Kearns was born in 1862 in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Nebraska, where he received a grammar school education. In 1883, a group of young men on their way to Montana and parts in Idaho heard that there was activity in Park City, just when the mining industry was starting up. They all decided that on their way to Idaho or Montana, they would first stop in Park City and take a look. That is where some of the men stayed. He worked in Park City, where he prospected and developed the Silver King mine with others, becoming a millionaire. It has long been said that “Thomas Kearns walked into Park City with only ten cents in his pocket and left a millionaire.”

Thomas married the niece of one of his partners, Jennie Judge, on September 14, 1890, in Park City, Utah. They had four children, all of whom were born in Park City. He was elected alderman in Park City. He later became a delegate to the 1895 state constitutional convention, where he advocated for an eight-hour workday. The Democratic majority in the 1899 legislature had failed to elect a U.S. senator, leaving the seat vacant for two years. In late 1900, Kearns announced his candidacy and was elected the following year by a Republican-controlled legislature.  Kearns also won recognition in the Senate for his support of Theodore Roosevelt's conservation/irrigation programs. He worked to secure regimental post status for Fort Douglas, Utah, and to open the Uintah Indian Reservation to settlement. When he failed to receive support for reelection, he bitterly denounced the power of the Mormon Church in a Senate farewell speech in 1905.

Kearns and his partner, David Keith, had purchased the Salt Lake Tribune in 1901 and launched the evening Salt Lake Telegram. Still retaining ownership of the Silver King mine, he had acquired an interest in other mines in the Park City and Price areas. It was once said, “Anything he touched turned to gold.”

Camp Kearns Utah

Although the Silver King mine is best known for its high-grade silver ore, it also produced copper and zinc from the same site. These products were transported across the valley by rail, stopping at the refinery named Garfield and Kennecott Copper, the largest open-pit mine, which opened in 1887. After the company suffered numerous railroad mishaps, they sought an area where the men could stop and disembark from the train for lunch and dinner. A spot was located about 5 miles from the railroad's troubled spot. It was a perfect spot, fresh water ran nearby, and there was a huge tree where the men would sit and have lunch off the train. After a while, a water sprocket and tables were added for the convenience of the men. This small park area quickly became a favorite among the miners, and a small railroad station was also built about a mile and a half from the water hole. 

Due to the troubled area on the tracks, an engineer came into the business and rerouted the tracks, closing the water hole. The area was long forgotten until about fifty years later, when the military was developing the site of the new base. The sprocket was found along with a sign that read, “Kearns Water Hole.” Until then, the military referred to this location as “Baucus.” As a result, the name Kearns was added to this area. After the war, the area kept the name, Kearns.Standard Surplus Incorporation of New York heard about the small town that no one wanted. Two days later, a representative from the firm, S.D. Caplin, arrived in Salt Lake City to file a bill for $287,270.00. On July 16, 1948, the winning bid was opened just $30,000 higher than the next offer; the land was awarded to Standard Surplus. Once the land was finalized, Standard Surplus quickly hired a Development Engineer. Arthur Caplain was a New York businessman, president of Standard Surplus INC., and a prominent Broadway playwright. His play “Life is too Short” was running on Broadway when his company bought Camp Kearns.

In 1950, he wrote another Broadway musical comedy called “Margery,” about a young businessman and the girl of his dreams. The young man made promises to his girl, and she laughed off all the false promises he made. Until he said, if you marry me to prove my love, I will build a town and name it Margery. She married him, he bought a town, but never named it Margery. Instead, he chose to honor the name Kearns because of its respect in Utah at the time. “Margery” ran for nine months on Broadway and was quite a hit.

This research was a team effort; information and pictures were shared by Michael Kearns, the great-grandson of Thomas Kearns. Michael passed in 2021 due to COVID.