Tucked into a narrow box canyon near the mouth of Parley’s Canyon is a ribbon of cabins and summer houses full of stories and deep history. It is accessed from an unmarked freeway off-ramp and hidden behind a non-descript gate. This is a place unknown to many. 

The cabins here are small with screened-in porches, hand-troweled stone walls, wood shingles and log siding. Many of the 50-plus historically significant dwellings perch on stilts above the canyon floor to evoke the sensation of living in the treetops (and also to limit access of critters to the rustic cabins). 

One well-preserved cabin was designed by renowned architect Taylor Woolley, a draftsman for Frank Lloyd Wright, who also designed Memory Grove Park and This is the Place Monument. This isn’t a canyon where the history has been torn down and replaced with Park City mega-mansions. This is the historic district of Mountair. 

“People hardly know the place exists,” said cabin owner Sam Dunham. “But for seven generations it’s been a place where families gather to celebrate, to slow down, to enjoy the mountains.” 

Seven generations, what does that mean? It means there are existing cabins in Mountair that were built as far back as 1890, several of which are connected with any one of the first seven presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Then there’s the Free family cabin, the original owners of Hygeia Ice; there’s the Willard Richards family cabin, the first editor of the Deseret News; the Richard Warner (Rick Warner Ford) family cabin, and the list goes on. 

Mountair recently received a historic district designation by the State Historic Preservation Office and the nomination is on its way to receiving a National Register of Historic Places designation.

“There’s deep, preserved history here. These are the summer homes of the original builders of Salt Lake City,” said Dunham, both preservation advocate of SaveParleys.org, a grassroots organization of individuals and organizations dedicated to saving Parley’s Canyon, and a cabin owner. “But after all these generations, all of this layered history, this place is at risk of being destroyed.”

A mine versus a community

Local developer Tree Farm LLC and California-based Granite Construction have proposed and petitioned for a new 634-acre open-pit gravel quarry near the mouth of Parley’s Canyon. There is an existing and visible quarry already in operation on the north side of I-80, the Harper’s Quarry. Harper’s currently operates on 11 acres, which is not even 2% of the proposed 634-acre site.

It would be tempting to believe that an open-pit mining operation of this size so close to a population center would be a clear-cut nonstarter, but there are historic mining-rights laws that affect the Wasatch Front, laws that were put in place when the valley was sparsely inhabited, and building Zion from the ground up was the top priority. 

Although the proposed site is currently zoned for Forestry and Recreation, which means it should be unavailable for development, via lawsuits and most recently through the defeated HB 527,  developers and some lawmakers are attempting to invoke these historic “vested-interest” mining laws to expand quarry operations.

Residents have responded to the threat. In 2022, the Salt Lake County Council amended the zoning ordinances to prohibit new mines in the Wasatch foothills, over 26,000 residents signed a petition to stop the mine, 14 community councils spoke out against it, Gov. Spencer Cox said he would have vetoed HB 527 which attempted to invoke the historic laws had it hit his desk, Fraser Bullock, the president and CEO of the Committee for the Olympic Games, has written a public letter to the governor emphasizing the negative impact of an open-pit mine on the potential future of another Olympic games.

So much at risk

The historic Mountair community will be impacted, as many of the homes are within one-quarter of a mile (as the crow flies) of the proposed mining area and the structures are fragile, but as summarized by SaveParleys.org, and based on articles from the Salt Lake Tribune and other sources, the environmental impact of an open-pit mine at the mouth of Parley’s Canyon could affect not just Mountair, but the entire valley in a myriad of ways:

There’s the air quality issue. Gravel pits produce a high volume of dust which contains toxins such as crystalline silica, a carcinogen known to damage lung tissue. Despite efforts to tamp dust, persistent canyon winds would make suppressing fugitive dust nearly impossible, and on windy days that dust would funnel into the valley. 

There’s the water issue. Parley’s Canyon is a designated watershed for the Salt Lake Valley, and according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, provides 20% of the valley’s water supply. Airborne dust would fall into the reservoirs and steams polluting Salt Lake’s drinking water, and dust would darken the winter snow pack, accelerating snow melt. Additionally, the mine would require millions of gallons of already scarce water for extraction and dust mitigation.

There’s the quality of life issue. The Wasatch Mountain range frames the valley, the proximity to the city a feature that makes Salt Lake unique. Locals treasure the wild foothills and access to nearby trails. The mine would also scar the scenic gateway to Park City, a major tourist destination, economic driver and location of (possible) future Olympic events. 

Gravel is necessary for growth

Construction materials are necessary for growth, and infrastructure materials such as gravel and fill are critical. But these materials are found throughout the valley, present in existing mines and approved locations close to new construction projects in the south end of the valley. “This isn’t lithium or another rare commodity we’re talking about,” said Dunham. “Gravel isn’t just a Parley’s Canyon resource, it’s found everywhere.”

Legally, neither the state nor national historical seal of approval can put a full stop on the proposed mine. The designation only requires state permitting agencies to assess the impact on the community. 

However, when asked what the Mountair community hopes to achieve with the designation, Dunham’s voice changes, his enthusiasm present in every word. “Because of this threat, the cabin owners and their families have come together to dig deep into the history of the place, to gather, to tell stories and to pull out old photos. It’s reignited a sense of community and pride. This place means something to these families. It’s meant something for generations.” 

The Mountair Historical District hopes that in documenting and preserving its historical significance, the state legislature will appreciate the deep history of the place, and in turn, will help preserve the place, itself. λ