Some Park City Mining History

Here are some historical facts related to Park City, Utah and mining.

Prospecting was in full swing in 1868 when some high-grade ores were found in Little Cottonwood Canyon, which led to a thorough search to the area around Park City.

Walker & Webster filed claims in 1869, the first on record.

In June of 1872 Rector Stern discovered the ore deposit that became the Ontario Mine. These are his words:

"I camped in a brush shanty for six months at the branch just below the Ontario, waiting for the snow to melt off. I went then to what is called the Badger mine, about the 15th of June, 1872, we discovered the Ontario mine. There stood right near this mine a pine tree, and near by was a fine spring. We camped under this tree and got water from the spring. When we discovered this mine we found a little knoll sticking out of the ground about 2 inches…We had the rock assayed and it went from 100 to 400 ounces per ton. We sold the mine to Hearst and Stanley on the 21st of August, 1872 for $27,000."

From 1877 to 1904 the Ontario produced more than 37,619,047 ounces of silver valued at $34,055,950.78. The Ontario mine was the biggest and richest in the Park City Mining District. There were others that produced a good amount as well. In the mining community and the mineral world, Park City is still considered one of the greats. It ranks up there with Butte, Montana and Silverton, Colorado. Every mineral collector in Utah should have a least one good mineral specimen from there.

Park City specimens are becoming more and more difficult to come by and the value is going up just as fast. We have Pyrite, Tetrahedrite, and some others from there. If you'd like information about our current selection, please call 1-888-ROCKSHOP (888-762-5746).