A mining-era structure at Park City Mountain suffered severe damage in what a preservation group on Wednesday described as a collapse, another in a series of mishaps over the years involving relics dating to the time when silver rather than skiing drove the economy.
The Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History indicated the heavy snow of the winter and spring caused the damage to the Thaynes hoist house. The damage was seen in early April. The structure is in Thaynes Canyon and is close to the Thaynes lift at the mountain resort. Park City Mountain said the site is roped off or fenced off permanently during ski season based on safety concerns. The resort said lift operations are not impacted by the collapse.
The Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History said the amount of damage was not known by the middle of the week. The group also said “it will be weeks before the snow melts enough to allow for safe inspection of the buildings, assessment of damage and planning for next steps.”
“This building collapse symbolizes the challenge that our community faces: to preserve what is left of our historic mining structures in and around Park City,” Don Roll, a co-chair of the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, said in a prepared statement.
The organization also said the Thaynes hoist house “has had significant snow damage to the roofs and walls in the past, and Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History has been planning, as well as fundraising, to make necessary repairs to stabilize the Thaynes headframe and hoist house from further collapse.”
Park City began in the 19th century as a silver-mining camp and grew into a bustling community as the industry flourished. Silver prices ultimately dropped sharply, devastating the Park City economy. It was decades before Park City recovered with the arrival of the ski industry in the 1960s. There are numerous mining relics remaining, some of them being little known to the general populace and others long ago having become iconic in the community. Many see the mining history as setting Park City apart from some of its competitors in the ski industry.
“Park City Mountain is a longtime partner of the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, and we are proud that our support enables the work they do to preserve our priceless mining history through awe-inspiring physical structures located on the mountains where we ski, ride, hike and play,” Deirdra Walsh, the vice president and chief operating officer of Park City Mountain, said in a prepared statement. “These remarkable buildings give Park City a character no other mountain town can claim. We were saddened to hear of the collapse of the Thaynes hoist house, and we remain committed (to) supporting the work of the Friends to save our historic sites.”
As the mining-era structures continue to age, there have been other high-profile incidents in recent years. There was a partial collapse involving an outbuilding of the Silver King Mine complex in 2019 and, in 2015, the head frame of the Daly West Mine fell. The Daly West Mine head frame collapse was an especially notable episode and spurred a successful effort to put it upright again.