Park City had three aerial tramway systems serving different mining operations. The most prominent was the Silver King Aerial Tramway, which started operations in 1901. The tramway towers are still visible alongside the route of the Town Lift today.
The other, less conspicuous tramway systems were the Silver King Consolidated Aerial Tramway that went from the King Con Mine high up in Thaynes Canyon and over to their mill near the present-day intersection of Deer Valley Drive and Bonanza Drive and the Park Utah Consolidated Mines (or Judge) Aerial Tramway that went from the Daly Judge Mine in Empire Canyon down to their loading station across from Chambers Avenue.
Hardly any towers (which had been constructed of wood) remain from the King Con tramway, but most of the Judge Aerial Tramway towers remain, although its connecting terminal building at the mine and the once-prominent loading station near the top of Old Town have been gone for decades.
Construction on the electric-powered Judge Aerial Tramway started June 18, 1925, and was completed on January 22, 1926. The eight towers for the line were built with steel and ranged in height from sixteen and fifty-five feet from their concrete bases.
The Judge tramway system was the shortest of Park City’s three systems, running 4,700 feet long from terminal to loading station. It also only covered 317 vertical feet from mine to rail, compared to a 1,000-foot rise over tough terrain for the Silver King tramway and an over 1,700-foot rise across a long distance for the King Con tramway.
Despite its smaller scale, the Judge tramway was the fastest of the three, running at 500 feet per minute and able to haul 40 tons of ore per hour in large, 10-cubic feet buckets. Ultimately, the mine and aerial tramway ceased operations in 1952.
Credit: Park City Historical Society & Museum, Emmett Wright Collection
But aside from hauling ore, the Judge Tramway, which ran right over or past several homes, became a photo opportunity for one new couple excited to live in Park City. Emmett “Bud” Wright and Mary Ann Lavin married on June 23, 1926, and after a two-week honeymoon moved to Emmett’s hometown of Park City to start their life together.
Emmett worked as a linesman for the Utah Power & Light and Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Companies, so he was no stranger to heights, but it’s fascinating that Mary Ann and two friends were willing to join him on the climb up the tower.
The tower they selected was located on Ontario Ridge along what is now the Prospect Avenue trail today. In the accompanying photograph, Emmett is in the back center and Mary Ann is in the left front holding the flowers. It is unclear if the photo is related to their wedding or honeymoon, if it is housewarming related, or perhaps just for fun. The Park City Museum is hosting a lecture titled “Aerial Mining Trams and Ski Lifts,” given by Mark Danninger on Wednesday, November 13, from 5-6 p.m. at the Museum’s Education and Collections Center located at 2079 Sidewinder Drive. The lecture will discuss the technology of mining tramways and how that technology was adapted for recreational skiing.