What compelled you to start Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History?
Something I have been dreaming about for 40 years, ever since we came to Park City. When we first moved here, my kids were ski racers, and I was a ski teacher, and certified as a racing coach at Park City Ski Area, as it was called. I thought it was so incredible, skiing past all these old mining buildings, and got permission from Phil Jones, the general manager of Park City back in the early 1970s, to create a ski tour around these historic buildings on the mountain.
I moved on from ski instruction, but stayed with the history part, and became an avid, active member of the Museum, just trying to get people interested in saving our mining history.
When Daly West Tower collapsed in May 2015, Rory Murphy and Marianne Cone came over for breakfast to talk about what we could do about it. The whole thing is a kitchen table operation, as they wanted to fix things as much as I did. We founded the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History because I needed an organization behind me to help me do the work, and there was so much work to be done!
I am so grateful that people like Brian Buck got busy with us as soon as he retired. He has been a godsend with his career and experience as our geologist and project manager. And Donald Roll has elevated and organized our group with his experience as an executive. And other incredibly talented people have volunteered countless hours.
About me
Born and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, riding horses and water skiing. I married Torch Elliott, whom I met at the University of Oklahoma. Boomer Sooner!! He was a career Army officer, and his posting to Alaska gave us the opportunity to learn to ski. When he retired 40 years ago, we moved to Park City for him to get his PhD and teach engineering at the University of Utah. Learning the history of each new home anchored me to Park City Historical Society and Preservation Utah, and here I am still preserving!!