Park City Silver Mine Tour

Park City Silver Mine Adventure - Ontario Silver Mine

Useful Information

Location:	SR 224 and Guardsman Pass. Near Park City.
Open:	closed? [2014]
Fee:	closed? [2014]
Classification:	T=13 °C.
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=90 min.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Park City Silver Mine Tour, +1-801-655-7444.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1868	silver discovered in the mountains of Park City.
1870	first lead-silver mines established.
1872	mining entrepreneur George Hearst paid $27,000 for the Ontario Mine and became rich.
1929	mining prices started to decline during the Great Depression.
1981	Ontario mine the last to be closed.
1996	redesign of entrance buildings completed.
1998	show mine closed.

Geology

Description

Park City Silver Mine Tour is a visit to an old silver mine, 500 m below surface. Tour groups use an elevator to travel down to the level of the show mine.

The Ontario Mine is located about 2 km south of Park City at the SR 224 leading to the Guardsman Pass. The mine ceased operations in 1981. It was once owned by George Hearst, William Randolph's father. During its operation it produced $400 million worth of silver. It provided work for many citizens of Park City, even with falling silver prices, until the town became a tourist destination. Today its economy is mainly based on the ski resort.

The show mine was named Park City Silver Mine Tour after the nearby town. It is not clear when it was opened, but much of the mine including the elevator and the tunnel for the tour were still in good shape. The operator even redesigned the entrance buildings with the help of some artists in 1996. Lately we were informed that the mine tours were stopped in 1998, but could not find anything about this on the web. Not even an article about the closing in the local newspaper could be found. The site is still listed on some websites, but it is not listed any more on the official list of museum of the town. Actually do not know the current state, but guess it is closed.

If you are interested in the mining history of the town, we recommend the Park City Museum in 528 Main Street. They have a section dedicated to the local silver mining. The most curious thing we found was an early attempt to start skiing by using a mine train to ride several kilometers into the mine and then up to the top of the mountain with the mine elevator. This was soon replaced by a more convenient ski lift.