The Grim Reaper at the Hamilton-Sprague
It was just after four o’clock in the afternoon of August 18, 1923 when James Healey and…
Posts by Author: Steve Leatham
The Wasatch “Super-Tunnel”
Nearly four decades after it was first proposed the Park City—Alta tunnel idea was resurrected by United…
A Tunnel to Free the Ore
In 1939, the Bureau of Reclamation (BoR) proposed delivery of one million acre-feet of water annually from…
Dizziness and Shortness of Breath
Entry into World War II left Park City’s mines shorthanded. By early 1942, a total of 346…
We Get Things Done
The Keetley Depot in its original state before being moved to Park City. The Parkite seniors were…
It’s a Road You’ll Have to Walk Someday
In November of 1946, “two ski lovers and sportsmen,” Otto Carpenter and Bob Burns, approached Mel Fletcher,…
Million Dollar Mistake
It is likely that anyone who owns a piece of property is familiar with its legal description.…
A Man with a Dream
On Friday, May 8, 1953 the two largest mining firms in the Park City district, the Silver…
I’ll Be All Right
Unlike this year, Tuesday, June 18, 1940 broke all records for June heat when Salt Lake City…
Standing Ground Against Insufficient Evidence
This story is continued from June 19, 2019. Reeling from the death of his five-year-old daughter, Rockport,…
John Alvus Reed’s Wild West
It is often said that losing a child is the most enduring pain a parent can suffer. …
Perfect Courage
Think for a minute what it would be like to bail out of an airplane from 14,000…
Battle of the Miners
Nothing captures the fascination of a small town like the local high school football team playing for…
When the Cable Broke
When the Silver King Aerial Tramway opened on June 6, 1901, engineers deemed it a world class,…
From the Perspective of Tower 39
I am 118 years old, as are my remaining thirty-five siblings. Originally we numbered thirty-nine, a very…
Pioneers in Aviation
There is little doubt that R. T. Freng’s heroic actions on the evening of March 11, 1929…
A Journey Interrupted, part two
Welcome back to our second article on the first plane crash in Park City’s history. Last week…
A Journey Interrupted
Our story begins on Sunday morning March 10, 1929 in the Mission Hills District of San Diego,…
Strike Three
On November 17, 1941, a B-18 Army bomber fell from the sky above Park City, engulfed in…
A Silver Lining
Just after midnight on November 17, 1941, Park City witnessed the fatal crash of B-18 Army bomber…
A Hell of a Roar
As the old proverb says, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Unless it is a…
I Will Do My Best
Showing much good sense, the 24-year-old Silver King Coalition Mine’s Master Mechanic Frank Stone married Park City’s…
Master Mechanic
An experienced carpenter working at the Silver King mine asked his novice assistant to get him some…
The King Mandates Insurance
On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act nicknamed Obamacare.…
Uncommon Valor
The United States Marine Corps War Memorial is located on a high ridge overlooking the nation’s capital.…
Dawn’s Early Light
Morning came early for Jim Murphy on Thursday, September 20, 1917. At daybreak, a bugler sounded reveille…
Supreme Sacrifice
In honor of Veteran’s Day on November 11, we’re going to spend the next few weeks profiling…
Snake Creek versus Midway
“Development work is also being pushed from the Snake Creek tunnel side with a view of tapping…
The Midway Irrigation Company
Who owns the water in a drain tunnel dug by a mining company – the irrigation company…
The Snake Creek Tunnel
If a mining company drives a tunnel nearly three miles into the heart of a mountain it…