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Show The History of Mining at Park City Emma Hill at Alta Discoveries of ore here in 1869 caused prospectors prospec-tors to push eastward and this resulted in the speeding the develop iment of Park City. (Editor! Note: Thii U the fourth of a reriei of ciicht article wardinc the hl-torr hl-torr of Tark City, pioneer L'tah minim community.) The first discovery of silver-bear-intf rock in the Wasatch ratine was made by (iencral Connor in person 1n the summer of 1MW at the head of Little Cottonwood canyon. The first ore discovered was galena, but .soon afterward carbonate of lead was found. During the next f nir years mlnliiR In Utah languished mmewhat because be-cause of the lack of transportation facilities. However, with the realization reali-zation in lStiS that the l'nioit Pacific was to be completed the following year and that rail communication would be provided between Salt lke City and (K'dcn by 1S70, de-velopnient de-velopnient of Utah's resources went forward with added impetus. The advent of railroad transportation was the third epoch in the history of Utah mlnitiK. The early work had proved beyond be-yond a doubt that Utah possessed valuable mineral deposits imd with realization that the railroads would he completed practical work toward development of the various districts was begun in earnest in ISfiS. With lis good climate, facilities for lraiiHKrtatioii and a food sup-ply sup-ply assured by the comparatively large agricultural population and ihe hope for adequate reward, the Inlux of prospectors and mlnlim men from Nevada, California, Idaho, "Montana and Colorado soon started nd their attention was directed i"hlefly to the Wasatch mountains. This was the beginning of the flow of outbids capital into Utah, capital that was needed to develop the state's resourct . and create Industry In-dustry and employment. In the fall of ISi'll locations In Little Cottonwood canyon were so numerous that practically the entire area was soon taken up. Fumi Little Lit-tle Cottonwood, the activity spread Into Big Cottonwood, the Mountain Lake district to the southeast and American Fork to the south. They also pushed eastward over the divide di-vide and down Into the narrow gulches to Parley's Park. At Parley's Park the prospectors ' crossed the trail of the early Mormon Mor-mon Pioneers, who more than a score of years ago has made their first trek across the valley. They found evidences of early occupation, occupa-tion, as Samuel Snyder, the first settler of the locality had erected a sawmill far down the park In 1S5:1. Further south they found livestock that broused on ground granted in lSr,:;-55 to Snyder, II. G. Kimball, and J. M. Grant. .Park City was not thought of then, but Hector Steen, one of tha first prospectors described conditions condi-tions in 1SG9 as follows: "Parley's Park . . . was a very pretty valley with several ranches scattered over It; and several springs In the valley." Thanks to the rural community provisions were comparatively cheap, Steen says, "Flour was $4 to $5 per lyo pounds; bacon 0 to 40 cents, beef 23 cents, green coffee 30 to 40 cents per pound; sugar 10 pounds to the dollar: potatoes 50 cents per bushel; bu-shel; butter 30 cents per pound. Hut mining equipment brought better bet-ter prices; a pick $5, shovel $2.50." With such conditions prospectors set up their brush shanties and t.nts and proceeded to prospect. From these shacks rose a fine community com-munity and an industry that has endured to this day. (The fifth article In this series will appear in these columns soon.) |