Intermountain Stock Exchange
Trademark
UnclaimedA former Salt Lake City securities exchange focused primarily on regional mining, oil, and other speculative stocks.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Intermountain Stock Exchange was a regional securities exchange based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It originated in 1888 as an organization serving the financing needs of mining enterprises in the Intermountain West and was incorporated in 1899 under the name Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange. The exchange provided a local marketplace for companies seeking capital and for investors trading shares associated with the region's mining economy. Its business was closely connected to the cycles of mineral extraction and resource speculation. Securities listed on the exchange commonly included small, speculative oil and mining companies, including penny stocks. Trading activity was strongest during periods of heightened resource enthusiasm. The exchange recorded substantial volumes in the 1920s and experienced another important period of activity during the uranium boom of the 1950s. The exchange also had a physical presence in Salt Lake City. In 1908, Utah mining magnate Samuel Newhouse donated property at 39 Exchange Place for an exchange building. The site became associated with the institution's role in the city's commercial and mining history. John S. Bransford, who later served as mayor of Salt Lake City, was elected president of the exchange in 1900. In May 1972, the organization changed its name from the Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange to the Intermountain Stock Exchange. The new name was intended to signal a broader geographic orientation beyond Salt Lake City and to reflect the exchange's ambitions to serve a larger regional market. Even after the rebranding, however, the exchange remained one of the smallest securities exchanges in the United States, described at the time as larger only than the Spokane Stock Exchange. Management hoped that the renamed institution could regain relevance, but trading volumes continued to decline. The exchange was acquired by Commodity Exchange, Inc., commonly known as COMEX, in 1986. Following the acquisition, the securities listed on the Intermountain Stock Exchange were delisted, the exchange ceased active operations, and the corporate entity became dormant. It is therefore remembered as a defunct regional exchange rather than as a continuing securities-market operator.
History
The Intermountain Stock Exchange developed from Salt Lake City's late-nineteenth-century mining economy. The organization was formed in 1888 to provide a local market through which mining companies could obtain capital and investors could trade resource-related securities. It was incorporated in 1899 as the Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange, a name that directly identified both its location and its principal commercial focus. The exchange's early identity was tied to Utah's mining sector and to the wider network of mineral-producing communities in the Intermountain West. Its listings generally consisted of speculative oil and mining companies, many of them small enterprises whose shares traded at penny-stock prices. This made the exchange an important local venue for high-risk resource speculation, while also leaving its activity exposed to changes in commodity sentiment and the fortunes of individual mining districts. The institution acquired a notable physical landmark in Salt Lake City. In 1908, Samuel Newhouse, a prominent Utah mining magnate, donated property at 39 Exchange Place for an exchange building. The site reflected the relationship between the exchange and the region's mining leadership. In 1900, John S. Bransford was elected president; he later became mayor of Salt Lake City, illustrating the institution's connections with the city's commercial and civic establishment. Trading volumes reached their strongest levels during the 1920s. The exchange later benefited from the uranium boom of the 1950s, when intense interest in uranium exploration and production generated renewed activity in resource securities. These periods of expansion were cyclical rather than evidence of a diversified national market. The exchange remained fundamentally regional and depended heavily on investor enthusiasm for mining and oil ventures. In May 1972, the organization changed its name to the Intermountain Stock Exchange. The change was intended to broaden the exchange's geographic image and communicate an ambition to serve markets beyond Salt Lake City. At that point it was described as the second-smallest exchange in the United States, ahead of the Spokane Stock Exchange. Management expressed renewed optimism about the institution's prospects, but the rebranding did not reverse the longer-term decline in trading activity. Volumes continued to dwindle as the exchange struggled to compete in a securities industry increasingly shaped by larger and more integrated markets. In 1986, Commodity Exchange, Inc., or COMEX, acquired the exchange. After the transaction, all securities listed on the Intermountain Stock Exchange were delisted. The exchange ceased operating and subsequently became dormant, ending its life as an active regional marketplace. Its history is now associated with former American stock exchanges and with Salt Lake City's mining and financial heritage.
- 1986
Acquisition and closure
[1]COMEX acquired the exchange; its listed securities were delisted, active operations ended, and the entity became dormant.
- 1972
Name changed to Intermountain Stock Exchange
[1]In May, the Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange adopted the Intermountain Stock Exchange name to suggest a broader regional mandate.
- 1950
Renewed activity during the uranium boom
[1]The exchange saw particularly strong activity during the uranium boom of the 1950s; no single peak year is specified.
- 1920
Peak activity during the 1920s
[1]The exchange experienced its largest trading volumes during the 1920s, although the reference does not identify a single peak year.
- 1908
Exchange building property is donated
[1]Samuel Newhouse donated property at 39 Exchange Place in Salt Lake City for the exchange building.
- 1900
John S. Bransford becomes president
[1]John S. Bransford was elected president of the exchange.
- 1899
Incorporation as the Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange
[1]The exchange was incorporated under the Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange name.
- 1888
Organization of the exchange
[1]A predecessor organization was established in Salt Lake City to provide capital-market support for the area's mining industry.
Products and positioning
A small regional exchange serving resource-focused companies and investors in Utah and the broader Intermountain West.
Securities exchange service · 1888
Regional mining-stock listings
The exchange listed and facilitated trading in shares of mining companies, reflecting its original purpose of helping resource businesses obtain capital. These securities were often speculative and small-cap in character, with activity influenced by mineral discoveries, commodity cycles, and investor enthusiasm.
Securities exchange service
Oil and resource-stock trading
In addition to mining companies, the exchange handled securities associated with oil ventures and other resource businesses. Its market was therefore concentrated in high-risk exploration and extraction companies rather than diversified large-cap issuers.
Brand decisions
1986
Acquisition by Commodity Exchange, Inc.M&ABackground
The regional exchange faced persistent volume deterioration and had not regained a sustainable position despite its 1972 rebranding.
Action taken
Commodity Exchange, Inc. acquired the Intermountain Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
All securities listed on the exchange were delisted, active operations ceased, and the exchange became dormant.
1972
Adopted the Intermountain Stock Exchange nameStrategyBackground
The Salt Lake Stock and Mining Exchange sought to present itself as a marketplace serving a wider geographic area than Salt Lake City alone.
Action taken
In May 1972, it changed its name to Intermountain Stock Exchange.
Aftermath
The exchange remained one of the smallest in the United States, and trading volumes continued to decline despite management's renewed optimism.
Sources1 sources
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