New Rail Trail sculpture honors Park City’s mining heritage

Daly West Legs sculpture on Rail Trail rendering. Photo: Park City Municipal

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City officials will unveil a new public art installation on Labor Day, repurposing remnants of a collapsed mining structure to honor the area’s industrial past.

The sculpture, created from broken legs of the Daly West headframe that fell in 2015, will be dedicated Sept. 2 at 4 p.m. on the Rail Trail at Bonanza Drive.

Park City Mayor Nann Worel said, “I appreciate the way this installation pays homage to our mining and railroad history, two of the most important parts of Park City’s story. By placing this sculpture at the head of the Rail Trail, I also hope visitors recreating on the trail can pause for a moment to admire its beauty and appreciate the history on display.”

The artwork, approved by the City Council in 2023, aims to link Park City’s mining and railroad heritage with its current focus on recreation and the arts.

The installation will also serve as a memorial to the 34 miners who died in a 1902 explosion at the Daly West Mine.

Sally Elliott, co-chair of the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, said, “We’re pleased to be a part of increasing the visibility of Park City’s mining history and to remember the men and their families impacted by the 1902 tragedy.”

Archive Designs and SO Metal, LLC of Eugene, Oregon, were responsible for the sculpture’s design and installation, respectively.

The project is a collaboration between Park City Municipal, the Park City Public Art Advisory Board, the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History and the Park City Historical Society.