Park City History
Park City, Utah was put on the world map as it helped host the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, deemed the most successful Winter Olympics ever. Hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world filled the town during those 17 days to watch the world's best athletes compete for Olympic gold; yet more than 130 years ago, a rush of people flocked to Park City seeking a different precious metal-silver. Park City was incorporated as a city in 1884.The mountains' abundant silver veins attracted adventurers from around the world in the late 1860s. During its mining height, those mountains surrounding Park City yielded $400 million in silver and created 23 millionaires, including the father of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst.
However, with falling mineral prices in the 1930s, the boom years ended and residents began "mining" the treasure on the mountains, discovering what would later be termed The Greatest Snow on EarthTM.
Today, Park City is a unique blend of the old and new. 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, and more than 1,200 miles of tunnels wind through the surrounding mountains, remnants of the mining era.
An interactive pictorial of Park City's colorful mining and ski history is on display at the newly renovated Park City Museum, located at 528 Main Street in the heart of Park City's historic Old Town district. Park City's Olympic Welcome Plaza, located at the junction of Highway 224 and Highway 248, pays tribute to both Park City's role in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the past 18 Winter Olympic host cities. The Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center at the Utah Olympic Park features films, interactive exhibits and museums and Olympic memorabilia that highlight Park City's long involvement in winter sports.
