| Description |
The history of Park City begins in 1868 with the opening of the mines on the eastern slopes of the Wasatch Mountains above the valley called Parley's Park. Soldiers stationed at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City and itinerant miners drifting across the divide from the mining camps of Alta and Brighton discovered and opened the first mines in the area; the Flagstaff mine discovered by the soldiers; the Pinyon, the McHenry, the Young America, the Yellow Jacket, the Green monster, and the Ontario discovered by the miners. In the wake of the miners came the settlers : George C. Snyder and his family came first, opening a boarding house, livery stable, and feed store. The were followed by others who opened stores, blacksmith's shops, a Wells Fargo station, a butcher shop, and a lumber yard. In 1874, the McHenry Company, who claimed much of the land upon which Park City is now situated, surveyed the site, and Park City was then considered a town. The settlers desired for their community a pure water supply, streets free from refuse and pollution, fire protection, and law and order: thinks that the county government, seated twenty-miles away at Coalville, had difficulty in providing for the infant community in the hills. Consequently, in January 1880, the residents of Park City petitioned the Territorial Legislature for a charter of incorporation. Al thought the measure was passed by the legislative body, it, along with a number of other bills, died on Governor Emery's desk. Therefore, it was not until the next meeting of the legislature in 1882 that Park City was incorporated. But due to the fact that the Utah Commission-- a group created by the Edmunds-Tucker anti-polygamy law to supervise, among other things, elections in Utah Territory-- had not arrived in time to authorize Park City's August elections for city officials, and therefore declared them void, the incorporating charter was nullified and the Park-ites had to wait two more years to become an incorporated community and to solve their problems. The people of Park City built schools for the educating of their children; churches for their own edification; saloons, theaters, large halls to accommodate dancing parties, and roller-skating rinks for their recreation. They organized fraternal societies for companionship and social assistance, and they formed bands, study groups and baseball teams to add to their social life. The economy of Park City was totally dependent upon the wealth of the mines. The big producers were the Ontario, the Crescent, the Daly, the Daly-West, and the Silver king. As long as these mines continued to take the precious silver and lead from the ground, the people lived in relative security. In 1893 a depression hit the United States causing economic failures in Park City. This was followed by the closing of the big mines: the Crescent, the Ontario, the Daly, and even the Silver King for a brief time. By 1897 the economic situation began to improve. The mines reopened and people returned to work. On the morning of June 19, 1898, a disastrous fire destroyed the heart of Park City-- Main street and Park Avenue along with Chinatown and the fashionable residences on Rossie Hill were leveled. But the inhabitants did not five up. In the determined spirit that had carried them through other tragedies, they rebuilt and looked to the future with the hope that their mines would once again make them a wealthy mining town. |
