Park City, Utah owes its big break to its surrounding majestic mountains. In 1868, federal soldiers exploring the area discovered that the mountains contained an abundance of silver ore. Word spread quickly and the subsequent silver rush attracted precious metal seekers from around the world.
Thanks to its glorious peaks, Park City’s became a player on the world stage and was incorporated as a city in 1884. During the glorious silver mining rush, Park City’s mountains are reported to have yielded $400 million in silver and created 23 millionaires, including the father of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. As a result, Park City, Utah grew into one of the richest, wildest and most celebrated mining towns in the West.
The 1930s saw an end to all the mining madness due to falling mineral prices. Residents began turning to what was on the mountains rather than what lay within – what would later be deemed The Greatest Snow on EarthTM.
At the start of the 1950s, things were looking grim for Park City. The silver had almost run out and the population had wilted to approximately 1,000 residents. Nevertheless, thanks once again to its gorgeous surrounding peaks, Utah powder transformed Park City into a thriving ski town. By the 1980s, Park City was a renowned home to world-class ski resorts.
In 1995, Park City was once again thrust into the spotlight when Utah won the international bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Although Salt Lake City officially hosted the Games, the majority of alpine events took place on Park City’s slopes.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world filled the town for 17 days in February 2002 to watch the world’s best athletes compete for Olympic gold and the 2002 Games were deemed the most successful Winter Olympics ever.
Today, Park City celebrates its unique past while embracing its promising future. Sixty-four of Park City’s buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, many of which are located along the town’s Main Street. More than 1,200 miles of tunnels wind through Park City’s surrounding mountains.
