Long before Park City became known as an international destination ski resort, it was known as one of the world’s most productive silver mining communities. At the beginning of the 20thCentury, over 70 mines in Park City employed more than 30,000 workers to bring up the valuable ore from deep below the surface. The production of these mines was the most important export of Utah for five decades. However, after WWII, the price of silver bottomed out and the mining industry here began to fade away. By the 1950’s Park City was sometimes listed among the ghost towns of the west. In 1963, a federal grant to build a ski resort among the defunct mines saved our town, and the rest is history. Today we often ski by the few remaining structures that harken of our past, sometimes barely noticing them. But we at Chin-MacQuoid-Fleming-Harris urge that we not forget that history – it made us who we are as a community.
Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History
A local volunteer group was organized in 2016 with a mission to preserve the last mining relics in the area. The group, named Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, has partnered with the Park City Museum, Veil, Deer Valley, and others to save our few remaining historic mining structures. They have tirelessly raised funds to stabilize edifices that, if left to the elements, would be completely gone in another decade. Next on their list of gems to be saved is the Little Bell Mine Ore Bin.
The Little Belle Project
The ore bin sits against the remains of a waste pile in a narrow gully in Empire Canyon. The exact date of construction cannot be verified, but the Little Bell Mine was active from the late 1880s through the 1920s so the bin must date from that era. Aside from the waste pile, it provides the only physical indication that mining activities occurred in the area. The rectangular wooden frame structure utilizes vertical posts on two exterior facades and horizontal boards attached to those posts to enclose the interior bin space. On the east elevation at the bottom of the bin are two chute openings with retractable steel gates. The exterior frame is not a complete rectangle, has an inclined base to facilitate emptying the contents of the bin through chutes. The setting is in the oldest areas of Park City, but has been surrounded by development (residential and recreational) in the last ten years. The mine-related buildings and structures seen in early photographs of the Little Bell Mine have been completely lost to history.
Fundraising Efforts
The cost to stabilize the Little Belle Mining Bin is estimated to be between $40,000 to $50,000. “The angle it’s leaning at is very precarious, and it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to foresee what will happen if we have another heavy winter,” said Sandra Morrison, Park City Museum Director. “Once it falls over, it will be lost forever.” On Thursday, June 28, the Museum will be hosting a fundraiser luncheon and hike, with all proceeds to go to the Little Belle project. The luncheon will consist of a special menu created by Deer Valley chefs and a short presentation by contractor Clark Martinez, CEO of Xcavation Co., who will talk about the preservation work. Joining Martinez, Park City Museum historians will speak about the mining operations in Park City 100 years ago. Deer Valley host Michael O’Malley will lead the hike up to the ore bin after lunch. Sign up for the luncheon and hike at parkcityhistory.org.
The family of Chin-MacQuoid-Fleming-Harris applauds efforts to preserve and protect Park City’s mining history. We think it’s impossible to know where we’re headed without honoring our past. Creating our future depends on knowing where we came from. Please give generously to preserving our mining relics.
