Daly West Headframe will rise again on June 30

Aerial image of Deer Valley’s Empire Canyon area and current location of the Daly-West Mining Headframe. Photo: Deer Valley Resort

PARK CITY, Utah — Deer Valley Resort and the Empire Pass Master Owners Association (EPMOA) announced Thursday that the Daly West Headframe, a major artifact of Park City’s mining history, will be raised to stand again on June 30.

The “big lift” is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and is expected to take roughly 30 minutes.

The headframe stood as an icon of the area between Montage Deer Valley and Deer Valley’s Empire Express chairlift and was part of the Daly West Mine Complex, which was rebuilt following a fire in 1914.

Another fire on Easter of 1974 destroyed the surrounding buildings; however, the headframe itself survived this event to stand in its original location until May of 2015, when a cave-in around the mine shaft caused the large steel structure to topple over.

The headframe has been repaired and will stand again on a location about 100 feet up the hill, to ensure that it remains as a proud icon for the foreseeable future. 

Collaboration between the EPMOA, Deer Valley, Park City Municipal, and the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History (FOSMMH) prioritized the preservation of the historic mining relic.

EPMOA and Park City Municipal gathered the financial resources required to complete the project, in fulfillment of the Flagstaff Development Agreement which governed how the land was developed within Empire Pass. 

The project is managed by Douglas Ogilvy, the president of EPMOA and a civil engineer. “At the urging of Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, EPMOA agreed to take on the project to repair and preserve this great artifact of Park City mining history,” Ogilvy said. 

Deer Valley helped with the process by acquiring the surface rights to the current location of the headframe and generously donating the land for the location where the Daly West Headframe will soon stand again. 

Park City Municipal Corporation provided a major source of funding for the project as well as approvals required to support the project. “We are pleased to provide help and support for this great project to preserve Park City!s mining history,” said Aiden Lillie, the historic preservation planner for Park City Municipal. 

While the raising of the Daly West Headframe is seen as a major victory by FOSMMH, the organization reminds the public that there are many other mining structures that still require preservation. As a result, FOSMMH continues to seek substantial funding to preserve the headframes at the Silver King Mine and Thaynes Canyon Shaft.

There are still a few seats available for a fundraising reception and lunch at the Montage at $500 per person. If you are interested in attending, you can purchase tickets at https://parkcityhistory.org/event/daly-west/.

Members of the general public who plan to view the event are encouraged to take public transportation, since onsite parking is extremely limited.