Leaving his mark not only on the NNRy, but the entire mining industry, Daniel C. Jacking has been remembered as the “father of open-pit mining” after introducing open-cut copper mining at Bingham, Utah and demonstrating that the mining of low-grade ores could be economically profitable. The porphyry copper district near Ruth could not have been developed without this method.

Born in Appleton, Missouri on August 4, 1869, Jackling attended the Missouri School of Mines. After organizing the Utah Copper Company in 1903 he became associated with Kennecott Copper, being named director of the company in 1925.

He would be involved with every Kennecott property, traveling across the country in his private railcar named the “Cyprus” which occasionally could be seen on the NNRy. He continued to be active in the filed of mining engineering until his retirement from Kennecott in 1942.

Jackling eventually built a 30-room mansion in Woodside,California. In 1954,a statue for Mr.Jackling was unveiled in the rotunda of the Utah State Capitol building cast from Bingham Canyon copper. At the time of his death onMarch 13, 1956 it was estimated that more than 60 percent of the world’s copper was produced using his mining methods.

He was inducted as the 13th member of the National Mining Hall of Fame in Leadville, Colorado.