SNAPPED: Park City’s newest public art installation pays homage to its mining history

Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History Art Installation ribbon cutting ceremony, with artist Matt Burney, on September 2, 2024. Photo: Town Lift // Randi Sidman-Moore

The metal sculpture incorporates elements from the historic Daly West headframe and mining remnants from across the mountain west

PARK CITY, Utah – Park City celebrated its newest installation of public art on Miner’s Day, September 2 with a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the installation of a large-scale sculpture that celebrates the city’s mining heritage.

Park City Municipal, Park City Public Art Advisory Board, the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, and the Park City Historical Society all played a role in bringing the piece to life on the Rail Trail at Bonanza Drive.

The sculpture reuses broken legs from the Daly West headframe, which collapsed in 2015, near the Montage and incorporates elements from Oregon gold mines, where artist, Matt Burney, is from.

“It was absolutely awesome to visit the head frame several times during the project and just gain inspiration from that awesome structure you guys have restored. We wanted to incorporate some industrial elements from Oregon, where we live, so it’s tying us together,” Burney said at the ceremony.

The location of the sculpture at head of the rail trail is also significant because it was what connected Park City to the Transcontinental Railroad, which was a key part of making Park City that the city that it became. Its placement also draws a connection between the City’s history in mining and railroad to its present commitment to recreation and the arts, officials said.

“I am here so proud, because this is a community of partnership. It’s a community of collaboration, and like this piece of artwork that compellingly weaves together many themes through its materials, its location and its historical significance. When we come together, we have such a great impact, and there’s no greater example of that than this piece of art today,” Park City Mayor Nann Worel said.