The Kennecott Garfield Smelter iconic smokestack.

The Kennecott Garfield Smelter smokestack is the most iconic smokestack of the west. That’s right, an iconic smokestack. It’s iconic because you can’t miss it. It’s huge! At 1,215 feet tall, it’s the tallest free-standing structure west of the Mississippi River and the fourth tallest smokestack in the world. Standing 18 miles west of Salt Lake City, it seems to be in the background wherever you around in town. It’s prominent when flying in and out and it begs for your attention when you drive west along I-80. The smokestack is part of Kennecott’s copper mining operation. The smelter processes the copper concentrate and acts as a waste heat to power generating plant.  Continue reading →