Park City, UT

Town View c1940

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This old mining town has worn many faces since it was originally settled in the 1860's by cattle ranchers. Soldier/prospectors from Fort Douglas first found and developed mining claims in 1868. Silver, lead and gold were discovered and mines like the Flagstaff and Ontario produced ore with as much as 400 ounces of silver per ton. The Ontario mine was owned by George Hearst, father of William Randolph Hearst, the publisher.

In a great mining boom the population reached 10,000 by 1880. The town flourished with all the usual shenanigans of a boom town. Along with the economic ups of the mines came the downs. In 1898 the town had a great fire where over 200 homes and businesses were burned. The town's structures were rebuilt, and many of those remaining today date back to the time of the fire.

Park City mines had problems with flooding, labor disputes and falling silver prices. In the 1930's, the depression forced many to leave town looking for work. About this time the remaining out of work locals began to explore skiing and ski jumping.

As time went on Park City seemed to diminish away until by 1960 the town was becoming a ghost with old mine cable hoists whistling in the wind. The historic town homes and buildings on the hill were reduced to the status of Sunday drive-by viewing.

But, skiing lived on in Park City and eventually saved the day as famous skiers like Stein Ericson helped start the town on its way to becoming a world class resort. Today the historic structures have survived amidst a sprawling land of condos, shops, restaurants and ski runs.

The Salt Lake & Eastern (later Utah Central) railroad built tracks to Park City to haul ore back to the smelters in Salt Lake City. The line later became the Utah Central and was eventually taken over by the Rio Grande railroad in 1908. The line traveled from Roper, near Salt Lake, to Park City through Parley's Canyon.