Deer Crest Views: The East Ontario and Boiler Point

The next time you ride the Jordanelle Gondola at Deer Valley Resort, take a quick look to the north as your cabin starts to ascend. You’ll see a large, rusted cylinder: the steam-power boiler of Boiler Point. Its story encompasses the Park City Consolidated and East Ontario mines, and the Deer Crest real estate development.

The workings of the Park City Consolidated underlie today’s Snow Park, the St. Regis hotel, and Little Baldy Peak. According to museum researcher David Nicholas, the mine “commenced full production in August of 1929. Silver, gold, and lead reserves proved abundant – along with copious amounts of water…Unfortunately for the Park Con, it achieved the dubious honor as Utah’s ‘hard luck’ mine. From 1929 to 1939 the mine was one of the most prolific producers in the state. However, the Great Depression ensured that historically low prices would be paid for its ores.”

After a series of ups and downs, the Park City Consolidated purchased the St. Louis and East Ontario mines in May 1941, further expanding its reach to the south of the area. The acquisition did not particularly pan out, according to McKay Edwards, who was president of Park City Consolidated from 1980 to 1990. Edwards executed the master plan and entitlements which were the basis for the Deer Crest real estate project. In 1996 the land was sold to the developers of Deer Crest.

“The East Ontario shaft was about 700 feet deep. It was sunk in the days before drilling could either prove out an ore deposit or not, so it was an ‘exploratory shaft,’” Edwards writes.

It was at this site that the boiler was originally located, presumably to run the hoist of the East Ontario shaft.

“At about 7,400 feet in elevation, the site was very scenic and a favorite of former Park City Consolidated Mines President Gordon Stott, who named it ‘Boiler Point,’” Edwards continues. “On my real estate master plan I had designated the site as ‘Boiler Point Historic Site’ and hoped to leave the boiler in place, but the Deer Crest developers apparently had their own ideas.”

While the boiler was relocated, one can be grateful that the developers and homeowners were far-sighted enough to preserve the machinery. According to Don Taylor, past general manager of the Deer Crest Management Association, the boiler “was moved between 1998 and 2000 by Heil Construction. At the time Deer Crest was being built there was a plethora of large equipment on site that could have been used to move it.”

The boiler remnants have two main components. One is a large cylinder (about 150 inches in length and 56 inches in diameter) that is held several feet off the ground by metal footings. An ancillary cylinder (about 120 inches in length and 24 inches in diameter) lies nearby. A winter examination unveiled no manufacturer’s mark; a future visit in the summer for a snow-free look may disclose its provenance.

Maps from the United State Geological Survey (USGS) tell the story of the Boiler Point transition in a simple way. Between 1956 and 1987, the maps display the East Ontario alone on the hillside. The 2001 map shows the mine just west and uphill of Deer Crest Estates Drive, north of its intersection with Jordanelle View Drive. By 2014 on, the mine disappears from the topographic maps and the Deer Crest road system prevails. On the Colliers mine claims map on the wall of the lower level at the Park City Museum, the shaft is on the northwest corner of the Dewet #2 mining claim.

By today’s landmarks, Boiler Point’s location is between towers 12 and 13 of the gondola route, and roughly halfway between the gondola and the Jordanelle ski run. In other words, just a stone’s throw from some hedge fund manager’s living room window.

If you want to approximate the view from Boiler Point this summer, pick up the Deer Crest trail near the St. Regis and follow it uphill to the Outlook trail. At the end of Outlook, on the Jordanelle ski run, you get a fine view of Jordanelle Reservoir and the Uintas.

The next free admission day at the Park City Museum is Saturday, April 20. Free Days are sponsored by the Summit County Restaurant Tax Grant Program!