In June 1898, fire broke out at the American Hotel at the top of Main Street, Park City and with strong winds blowing from the east, the fire quickly spread from building to building. It was thought that a drunken guest knocked over a lamp and that one moment destroyed a whole community.
At the time, the silver, lead and zinc discovered in the nearby mountains had driven hundreds of prospectors to this once small Utah settlement. The city’s population had risen rapidly to over 10,000 and Main Street was a boom street that included boarding houses, saloons, theaters, and stables. The fire put paid to that street at a time of peak activity down the mines.
But Main Street was rebuilt quickly; there was no other way and the city has retained its look as a picturesque, nineteenth century mining town. The one road is now home to over 200 separate businesses, including the lauded No Name Saloon which is close to the site of the old American Hotel.
We were filming in the No Name when a winter storm started to bombard Main Street. It seemed as good an opportunity as any to pay homage to one of the great streets in the West. We also had a bison in town and it seemed to make sense to include him in the narrative. Afterall, this is the Wild West and anything goes.
Park City has, of course, become a year-round recreational haven, but its soul remains in the past. It was a boom mining town. This picture is a nod to those days.
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