OCR Text |
Show i 6 i V:4 h.- - -t j ;s J y K ,,'i i3 ! silver surrounding precious But late in 1868J which would infect ith an incurable fever . a tranquil mountain Itii ig iho a bustling campUchose mines eventually nrotmced more than $400,00000 worth of ore and made twenty - three speculators into millionaires. is not certain who made the first silver strike in the City district but 1868 was the year. Two years later were digging in the Flagstaff Mine area ken James M. Kennedy purchased the claim for $5,000. Ken-7nein turn sold the property to Mr. E.I. Ferry for $50,000. The V owner dubbed his operation the Marsac Silver Mining Company e ore. Word got out and and promptly began extracting the rush was on! The countryside was soon dotted with the ramshackle houses and shanties of eager prospectors. On July 4, 1872, a makeshift flag of various materials was sent skyward and the burgeoning town was proclaimed Park City, Utah.' The greatest mine discovery in Park Citys history occurred in 1872. The Ontario claim, which was to produce over $50,000,000 worth of ore, was the first step toward creating the biggest, wildest silver camp in the west. Most resident prospectors were of the opinion that the Ontario fissure was the only mine of great consequence Jn the area. ButJJ. Daly, an Ontario miner, theorized that the silver vein extended west from the rich strike and his hypothesis was correct. The new the Woodside, the Mayflower, the Silver King, the Thaynes, Crescent, and other mines and productive Daly Mine was followed by the Anchor, the Daly-Wes- t, hats the old- which took their cue from Mr. Daly. These were the .days of crude methods and splendid results. Clad in their ltdiggers and uhard-boile- d timers descended the shafts and lit their candles to dig and muck. They labored ten hours a day, seven days a week, for an average pay of three dollars a shift. Even though methods improved as the years passed, it was not an easy life contending with slides, dust, mechanical mishaps, and explosions. The worst dismine claimed the lives of 3-- men. aster in the annals of local mining took place on July 15, 1902. A powder magazine in the Daly-WeThe mines drew many different nationalities to Park City. Among them were the Cornish Cousin Jacks, the most proficient miners in the world. Also arriving were the Scots, the Irish, the Scandinavians, and the Chinese. In 1879, Park City consisted of 350 buildings housing 3,500 people, andin 1882 the district. Prominent in the Deer Jty was incorporated. Notable among the establishments of those days were the 27 saloons and the Deer Valley red-ligValley social set was Mother Urban, a 200 pound hulk of womanhood who ambled about, on a wooden leg. As abundant as the silver seemed to be, circumstances were evolving which would dampen the boom town atmosphere. During the second half of the 19th century , enormous silver discoveries were made in the west. Also at this time, England and Germany abandoned the bimetallic monetary system in favor of the gold standard. The silver market was saturated and by 1893 the price of silver had fallen to 70 cents an ounce. Economic depression set in and many of Park Cityfs mines closed. Tragedy struck on June 1 9, 1898. In four hours, 200 buildings were destroyed and 500 persons were left homeless by a raging conflagration. The fire caused damage in excess of a million dollars. Miraculously, no one perished. The depression of the early thirties, WWII , and an exorbitant rise in water pumping costs caused the demise of the majority of Park City mining operations. Since 1872, record amounts of silver have been removed from local mines. Production has atrophied since the bonanza days but the mining has never completely ceased. In recent years , most of the mining done has been developmental. The quality and quantity of veins has been determined and Park City mining is on the verge of rebirth. Park City Ventures, the company currently in control of the mining environment, is scheduled to commence productive operations on a major scale in April of 1975. The company decided it A merger in 1953 which combined almost all of Park Cityfs mines , resulted in the formation of the United Park City Company. A e ski resort which would take needed a diverse source of income to sustain its mining until economic conditions permitted profitable , large-scaloperation. in the amount of $ 1,232,000 was An area redevelopment loan advantage of the perfect powder snow and Park Cityrs accessibility seemed to be the answer. secured from the U.S. Department of Commerce and in 1963 the Treasure Mountain Resort came into being. The population began to increase and real estate values climbed. New businesses opened. Some prospered, many failed, but those people with foresight doggedly remained inanticijtation of recreational btmm. In1971, the Royal Street Development Comjany through its subsidiary, the Greater Park City Comjtany , joined forces with United Prk City to estab ski resort. The tourists arrived, permanent residency grew, and a second, different Park City rush was on. lish a first-rat- e Park Cityfs heritage and character are products of the silver mines and the people who worked them. The vitality of the town was returned by the intrtulut tibn of recreational skiing. With the resurgence of mining and the expansion of the ski facilities. Park City is destined to reap the benefits of the old and the new. , soldier-- prospectors dy high-grad- st 1 ht . - |