Attendees at the Mining Historical Society’s 2024 conference will hear a presentation by local historian Brian Buck titled “Construction of the Dairy West Headframe” on Friday, June 7, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Yarrow. This year marks the first time the conference will be held in Park City, and it will be packed with presentations, site visits and tours of mining sites in Park City and across Utah. Park Record file photo by David Jackson
In Park City, about 150 mining enthusiasts are expected to arrive in town for the Mining Historical Society’s 2024 conference, held June 5-8 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at Yarrow.
Volunteer organizers Lynn and Mark Langenfeld said the event, which will include site visits, tours, talks and mining presentations, is being held in Park City for the first time.
“We’ve talked about a conference in Utah for many years, and there were several proposals to hold the conference in Park City, but it never came to fruition,” says Mark, a past MHA president. “Our membership changes geographically every year, and for one reason or another, we’ve never had a substantial presence in Utah as an organization.”
Mark really paved the way for the association to Park City.
“Park City has played a long and significant role in mining history, especially silver mining. This group has a story to tell,” said Mark Langenfeld, Mining Historical Society 2024 Conference Volunteer Co-Organizer.
“A few years ago, we were discussing locations for a future conference and I boldly said, ‘Utah is important to the history of mining, and we should definitely make an effort to go there,'” he said. “Of course, when you make a suggestion like that, the response that follows is, ‘OK, you do it.'”
Mark said the work took two and a half years of planning.
“We’re based in southern Wisconsin, so we had to put our money where our mouths are,” he said with a laugh.
This year’s conference would not have been possible without the help of the Friends of Ski Mountain Mine History, a Park City-based nonprofit organization co-chaired by Sally Elliott and Donald Roll that works to preserve the area’s mining history and historic buildings.
“The work that Sally and the group are doing is so important because we’ve seen a lot of mining history, especially out west where the climate is tough on structures,” Mark said. “If material culture isn’t cared for and cherished, it will disappear and there will be nothing left to look at and learn from. And material culture is important to historical research if communities want to preserve parts of their heritage.”
Elliott said he is excited that Park City is finally hosting the conference.
“We’re really excited,” she said, “and of course we think this is the best place to tell the mining history story, so we really want people to have a good time.”
Elliott said upcoming plans include holding a welcome reception at Miners Hospital on Wednesday and taking a ride on the Town Lift to tour the Silver King Mine on Park City Mountain.
“We’re preparing all kinds of guides and tours to take people through Park City, and the Town Lift operation will be something special because the resorts aren’t open for the summer yet,” she said.
Other site visits will include the Dairy West mine in Deer Valley and a visit to Eureka to view the Tintic mine operations, Elliott said.
“What I enjoy most is the site visits and seeing the mining history and remnants of the locations where our conferences are held,” said MHA Council Member Lynn Langenfeld. “We’ve been everywhere from Fairbanks, Alaska to Birmingham, Alabama to British Columbia, Canada.”
A range of presentations will also be held at Yarrow throughout the conference.
Lynn said some books focus on mining sites at home and abroad, such as Eamon McCarthy’s “Tuberculosis, Maltese Crosses, and the Three Faults: The Controversy over the Respiratory Health of Butte Miners in 1914” and Bill Culver’s “Putting Lipstick on a Pig: Livestock Promotion in Megantic County, Quebec, 1852-1875,” but others focus on Park City.
“We’re dedicating at least half a day of sessions to the local mining industry,” she said, “so you’ll be hearing from speakers from the region.”
Regionally focused presentations will include “Major General Patrick Edward Connor: Father of Utah Mining” by Stephen Hart, “Construction of the Dairy West Headframe” by Brian Buck, and “Cornish Miners, Their Historical Significance and Park City’s Early Cornish Settlers” by Donovan Simmons.
“The sessions are interesting and varied, covering a wide range of topics and areas related to mining,” Mr Lin said.
Mark said the history of mining can be divided into four stages: the global stage, the national stage, the state stage and the local stage.
“Everybody has a story, and each story is unique,” he said. “Park City has played a big role in mining history for a long time, especially silver mining, and this group has a story to tell.”
Mark said the Mining Historical Society, which boasts about 250 members, is a unique organization.
“It’s an outgrowth of the Western Historical Association, which is primarily an academic organization,” he said.
In the early 1990s, the Western Historical Society met in Virginia City, Nevada, and one of the sessions focused on mining history.
“The people who attended that session were kind of the founding members of MHA,” Mark says. “They put their heads together and decided there was enough interest to give it a go.”
The Mining History Society includes academics as well as people who work in the mining industry and people who love mining.
“It falls into three broad groups,” Mark says. “There are academics – students and professors – masters students, post-doctorates and teaching staff. There are also people who work in the industry or are retired. And then there are ‘geeks’ who are passionate about mining and its history.”
And as for the Langenfelds, the Mine Historical Society could not have pulled off this year’s conference without the cooperation of the Friends of Ski Mountain Mine History.
“We appreciate their cooperation and friendship in this matter,” Lin said.
