The Importance of Cornish Miners in early Park City Mining given by Donovan Symonds and Chett Boxley

Park City Museum and the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History are hosting a lecture called The Importance of Cornish Miners in early Park City Mining given by Donovan Symonds and Chett Boxley on Wednesday, October 25th from 5-6 p.m. at the Education and Collections Center located at 2079 Sidewinder Drive. More information can be found at www.parkcityhistory.org.

In the early 1800’s the English counties of Cornwall and Devon produced over half of the world’s output of copper and tin. This was the world center of underground hard rock mining technology and Cornish miners, often called “Cousin Jacks,” were sought after to help develop
the rapid expansion of underground mines in the early West. They were the most technically
skilled in the field. Many Cousin Jacks found their way to Park City and quickly assumed senior
technical and managerial roles. The lecture will explain the early history of hard rock mining and water pumping in Cornwall, and why the terms jack hammer, jack leg drill, single jack and
double jack all relate to the skilled Cornish miners. The origin of the famous Cornish pump will
be discussed.

The second part of the talk will give brief histories of the lives of some of the Cornish miners
and their spouses, referred to as “Cousin Jenny,” who ended up in Park City, many of whom are
buried in the Glenwood cemetery.