In the middle of this ski run was one of Park City’s earliest silver mines, discovered in 1875. That’s before Park City was even a city! Ore production was reported in the 1880s and 1890s. By 1902, there was a 600-foot-deep shaft with three levels extending out from it and one tunnel, all totaling almost 1000 feet in underground excavation that was done entirely by hand! Can you imagine doing all that work without the use of modern power equipment?
The mine was worked on and off by various lessees of the Creole Mining Company. It was very promising because of its location near successful mines like the Silver King and its proximity to town. The location made it easy and inexpensive to move ore to town for further processing. The Silver King Coalition bought the Creole Mine in 1907; they connected the two mines, allowing more convenient access to the Silver King’s underground workings for miners living in Park City. That’s another hiking stop in this tour around the top of the Town Lift chairlift above here. Luckily, it’s above ground! Speaking of tunnels, there are about 1,200 miles of tunnels under the Park City and Deer Valley ski areas. Yep, I said 1,200 miles! If you laid all those tunnels end to end, they would reach most of the way from Park City to Chicago.
When the Creole Mine was abandoned, the fun shifted to above ground. In the 1920s, local Norwegian ski legend Alf Engen built a ski jump on the pile of waste rock. The ski jump was a place for new jumpers to hone their skills before moving on to bigger jumps in the area. As the years went by, the jump was enlarged, and the kids flew further down the mountain. By the 1930s, jumps of 90 feet in length were possible. A photo on the sign shows a ski jumper.
Hundreds of kids would compete in junior ski jumping tournaments on the Creole Hill. Kids as young as first grade flew off the end of the jump! The skis were made of wood and often broke, forcing the kids to use mismatched skis. Competitors would trade skis with each other to find a pair that were at least close in length. Local school competitions were common. Crowds of nearly 1000 Parkites would gather to cheer on the young flyers. To learn more about ski jumping history in Park City, be sure to visit the Alf Engen Ski Museum at Utah Olympic Park in Kimball Junction.
What you see today is the Creole Ski Run, added to the Park City Ski Area in 1985, when the Town Lift opened. Continue by following the wayfinding signs to our next story sites and the grey route in our tour map.