Documentary Photography: September 2013

The Dream Mine (Relief Mine)

To believe or not to believe, the mystery of The Dream Mine.

Spirit, Religion, Magical dream, and decades of controversy.

It started as a dream years ago in 1894, a dream an older man named Bishop Koyle had. The man was many things including a visionary. It seemed that the man was always having visions and dreams, but on this particular night in 1894 his dream was different, it was more of a vision. He believed it was a message from an angel through God. In the message was instruction for the pathway to find an ancient Nephite gold mine near his home in Salem Ut. It also came with instruction that the treasures inside were to give financial relief to the community in times of crisis. but the treasures were never to be used for anything self indulgent wants or activities etc. Immediately following the vision Bishop Koyle began thinking of ways to protect the mine, he did not the the funds to do so, he started sharing his vision and at first he had the Mormon church and most of the town on his side. No one doubted his vision, and it seemed everyone wanted to help, so he came up with the idea to sell shares of the mine which would raise money for building material. People ended up trading livestock, money, labor, and other things for their shares in the mine. After a while the Mormon church started investigating these allegations of treasures and they were unfounded, They called him a heretic and said he was of the devil. so they ended up giving Bishop Koyle ultimatums about the mine. Bishop Koyle chose to carry on the way he was with his vision and therefore was excommunicated from the church. The town was split, some followed Koyle and his dream and some stayed with the church.

Well that was the story years ago and to this day shares are still owned, feelings are still hurt, people are still owed, and property is still highly guarded. As of for Bishop Koyle he died a year later after he was excommunicated from the church in 1949 he was 84 years old. Did he die of a broken heart from not being believed and being shunned, did he die of old age, or did he die an old man that got one over on a lot of people? A vision or a blindfold.