Today, there are plenty of articles and books floating around telling Park City’s history. But it wasn’t always that way.
Park City, as a community, really got going in the 1870s, so it makes sense that thinking of the town’s history didn’t develop much until twenty-five to thirty years later. The first mention of a telling of the town’s growth as a mining community (that we have found so far) comes from the Salt Lake Mining Review, a newspaper that was dedicated to mining news from around the state, region, and world.
They noted that up until their 1899 article, “no special reference has been made to the section which, for years, has been the pride of every Utah citizen, the mines of which, for a quarter of a century, have eclipsed the record of any other mining camp in the production of mineral wealth, and which, today, gives promise of further enriching the world by the addition of many millions to swell the volume of trade and commerce.” They were, of course, talking about Park City. They followed up with another history article in 1900.
Working for the United States Department of the Interior, James Mason Boutwell published a professional paper titled “Geology and Ore Deposits of the Park City District, Utah” in 1912. While most of the bound paper is focused on geological aspects of Park City’s mines, it also contains a bit of history on the formation of each mine discussed.
In 1915, Parkite Henry Welsh put together a history of Park City mining for the Intermountain Catholic publication, which still exists today. Henry’s article was subsequently reproduced in the Park Record. Further, in 1927, Charles LeBronte published a history of Park City mining in the National Oil and Mining Journal, which was again subsequently featured in the Park Record. Charles Street also published a mining history of Park City in the Salt Lake Mining Review in 1931, which – you guessed it – made its way to the Park Record.
The year 1966 brought news that Mrs. June Stewart was compiling a history of Park City, which she intended to publish as a book. No further mention was made of any completed tome. However, June’s daughter, Rosyln, later made over twenty accessioned donations of photographs, archives, and objects to the Park City Historical Society & Museum. Presumably, much of the donated material had been passed down by her mother.
It was not until 1968, however, that Park City mining history got its own book. George A. Thompson and Fraser Buck released Treasure Mountain Home in October 1968, selling the book for $4. A revised edition was released in 1981. It remains the most comprehensive book on Park City’s mining history.
Interestingly, there is also a song called “My Treasure Mountain Home,” written by Parkite teacher Bernice Hendrickson for Park City’s Silver Mining Centennial in 1969. It is a quick song-telling of Park City history, reading
Come listen I’ll tell you a story/ A story of courage and fame./ Of brave men and true of their women, too/ Who conquered the mountains and plains./ There were snowslides and cave-ins and fires,/ Depressions and shutdowns galore,/ But undaunted they stood and with vision they viewed/ My City, Park City, My Treasure Mountain Home./ Many people soon came to my City/ In search of the wealth of her hills./ They built their rough shacks near clear river banks,/ Mid scenery that gave them a thrill./ There were Swedish and Finnish and Irish./ English and Italians too./ Then with pride that they felt, a great city they built./ My City, Park City, My Treasure Mountain Home./ …
Diggings and Doings, a pictorial history of Park City’s mining history (mostly) by Raye Ringholz (a.k.a. Raye Carleson Price), came out in 1970, and had several new editions. Raye also collaborated with local historian Bea Kummer to release a walking tour history of Park City book. Bea also maintained a column in the Park Record, titled “Chit Chat,” where she often wrote on Park City’s history.
Further books often combined other aspects of Park City’s growing history, whether it be more town life history or our turn to skiing. For our Centennial, Parkite Larry Warren produced a television special to cover Park City’s first hundred years, titled “Mines to Moguls.” Larry later wrote the book Mountain of Treasure.
Local historian Gary Kimball published several books on different aspects of our history, while the most recent entry that focuses mostly on mining history is Images of America: Park City. That book, by this author, utilizes the Park City Museum photographic collections to tell a brief and general history of our mining days. The Museum has also published historical articles on all aspects of our history for decades (yes, the very column you are reading now). Notable longtime or prolific authors have included Hal Compton, Mahala Ruddell, David Nicholas, David Hampshire, Steve Leatham, Sally Elliott, and many more.
The Park City Museum is hosting a lecture titled “Historical Park City Mining 101,” given by former mining engineer Donovan Symonds on Wednesday September 3 from 5-6 p.m. at their Education and Collections Center located at 2079 Sidewinder Drive.