Place · United States
The history of Park City, one place at a time
Assembled from 2 dug tiles · 28 sourced records · last reviewed 20 September 2026
Park City, Utah, incorporated in 1869, grew up around silver mines that demanded constant pumping to stay dry. Railroads built in the 1880s hauled coal to keep those mines running until Union Pacific abandoned the line in 1989; three years later it reopened as a 28-mile recreational trail.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in Park City — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in Park City
The mines needed dry shafts, so a railroad grew hereA narrow-gauge line built to keep silver mines dry now carries hikers and cyclists past this spot instead of coal. Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park
1869–2024 The line that outlived the mines it was built to save
A narrow-gauge railway built to pump silver mines dry now carries hikers instead of coal, thirty paces from where you stand. Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park
1853–2015
Park City in layers
1300 Kearns Blvd, Park City
The lot underfoot, at 1300 Kearns Boulevard, is recorded by Summit County as a 35.19-acre tax-exempt parcel, its exact building history unlisted in the deed record. Utah county assessor via UGRC parcel layer
1853
In 1853, a Ute party fired on four men at a sawmill in Parley's Park, about ten miles from Park City, killing two and prompting settlers to build defensive forts across the region. Park City Museum / University of Utah Marriott Library Digital Library
1869
Park City was established as a city in 1869, growing out of the silver mining boom in the surrounding canyons. Wikidata
Park City, 1880-1930
Between 1880 and 1930, mining accidents and silicosis accounted for nearly a fifth of all recorded deaths in Park City, with murder and suicide adding dozens more. Park City Museum (Gary Kimball, 'Death & Dying in Old Park City', 2005)
1881–1887
The Utah Eastern Railroad served the mines for only six years, from 1881 to 1887, before it was abandoned. OpenHistoricalMap
1883–1989
The Echo & Park City Railroad carried ore and passengers from 1883 until it was torn up in 1989, its bed now folded into the rail trail nearby. OpenHistoricalMap
Echo & Park City Railroad
The Echo and Park City Railroad operated from 1883 until 1989, carrying ore and passengers along tracks that are now part of the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park nearby. OpenHistoricalMap
founded 1885
Glenwood Cemetery was founded in 1885 as a pioneer burial ground for the miners of Park City and still holds more than 950 graves. Wikipedia
Glenwood Cemetery, Park City
A short walk southwest, Glenwood Cemetery was founded in 1885 as a pioneer burial ground for silver miners and still holds over 950 graves. Wikipedia
June 1898
On a June morning in 1898, canyon winds drove a fire through Main Street that burned 200 buildings in seven hours and caused over a million dollars in damage. Utah Division of State History
Park City
On June 19, 1898, a fire tore through Park City and destroyed most of its buildings, sparing only a handful of structures like the Washington School before the town rebuilt. Visit Park City
born 1900
Roger J. Traynor, later a prominent American judge, was born in Park City in 1900, during the height of the silver era. Wikidata
Daly-West Mine, Park City
In 1902 an accidental explosion of stored dynamite in an underground chamber at the Daly-West Mine killed 32 miners, most from poison gas, making it the worst hard-rock mining disaster in Utah history. Park City Museum / Park City History
built 1904
Park City's Miner's Hospital went up in 1904 to treat the constant toll of accidents from the silver mines, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Wikidata
Park City
Theodore Bruback, an American industrialist, died in Park City in 1904, part of the town's mining-era generation. Wikidata
died 1905
William Montague Ferry Jr., a Michigan mayor, died in Park City in 1905. Wikidata
Park City
William Montague Ferry Jr., an American mayor, died in Park City in 1905. Wikidata
Ontario Mine, Park City
In March 1925 a man at the Ontario Mine lit a stick of black powder in his mouth and died instantly in the blast. Park City Museum / Park City History
1750 Kearns Boulevard, Park City
About half a mile away, Park City High School has served the town's students since 1928. Wikipedia
died 1981
Alvin Gittins, an artist known for his portraits, is buried in Park City Cemetery near this coordinate. Wikidata
Park City Cemetery
Alvin Gittins, an American portrait painter who died in 1981, is buried in Park City Cemetery a short walk from here. Wikidata
opened 1992
The Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail follows 28 miles of abandoned railroad grade from Park City toward Echo Reservoir, opened as a state trail in 1992. Wikipedia
died 2013
Harry Reems, the actor at the center of the Deep Throat obscenity trials of the 1970s, is buried in Park City Cemetery about 186 meters from this spot. Wikidata
died 2015
Deedee Corradini, Salt Lake City's mayor during the run-up to the 2002 Winter Olympics, is buried in Park City Cemetery just down the slope. Wikidata
Questions about Park City
What is Park City known for historically?
Park City grew as a silver-mining town, and much of its early record concerns that industry: the railroads built to haul coal to the mines, the Miner's Hospital built in 1904 for mining injuries, and mining deaths such as the 32 lost in the Daly-West Mine accident, called Utah's deadliest mining accident.
What happened at Park City in 1898?
The Great Fire of 1898 destroyed roughly three-quarters of the town.
What happened to the old railroad through Park City?
A narrow-gauge line built beginning in 1880 to carry coal to Park City's silver mines ran until Union Pacific abandoned the corridor in 1989. In 1992 the graded bed reopened as Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park, Utah's first non-motorized recreational trail, running 28 miles northeast through Silver Creek Canyon toward Echo Reservoir.
When was Park City founded?
Park City was incorporated in 1869.
Who is buried in Park City's cemeteries?
Park City Cemetery holds the graves of Harry Reems, star of Deep Throat, the town's first woman mayor, and portrait painter Alvin Gittins, among others. Glenwood Cemetery was laid out by silver miners in 1885.