The Little Bell Mine Site in Park City, Utah is significant under Criterion A in the area of Industry for its association with the mining history of Park City Mining District. From the discovery in 1880 and resolute exploration starting in 1901, the small mine was profoundly influenced by local and national events and its fortunes swung with the boom and bust cycle that is always present in industrial mining. Rich strikes of high grade ore buoyed Little Bell owners, miners and shareholders but ultimately huge profits were illusive and the company was too small to survive the vagaries of the mining economy. The company’s relatively short life span indicates the economic complexity in the profitability of extracting Park City’s ore. But development at the Little Bell in the early 1900s proved that, unlike many mining districts across the west, Park City’s underground wealth was barely tapped and Park City’s mining economy could support the region for decades to come.
The Little Bell Site is also significant under Criterion C under the area of Engineering as it possesses the distinctive characteristics of a small Park City shaft mining operation and the site reveals the innovative development of industrialized infrastructure needed to make mining profitable in the remote and rugged mountains of Park City. The surface plant ore bin and waste rock dump are distinct and interrelated mining features, typical of this type of operation. The Little Bell’s ore bin possesses the distinctive characteristics of type and method of construction of this type of structure. Park City’s mines had their own regional architecture, influenced heavily by construction practices elsewhere across the American West. By adapting a universal sloped-floor ore bin design, the structure demonstrates local ability to meet the mine company’s need while addressing complications of remoteness, expediency, available capital and the profitability of the mine.
The Little Bell Site is also significant under Criterion D under the area of Archeology as the site has potential to reveal additional information regarding the historical use and function of Little Bell Mine as well as the mining history of Park City in general. Archeological excavation of the site, which also includes the former location of the shaft house, blacksmith shop and boarding house, within the proposed boundary, can contribute to understanding of important research questions such as the daily lives of miners, use and application of technology, organization of work space, and perhaps the identity and agency of the miners in regards to labor and socioeconomics.
The site is nominated under the “Mature Mining Era 1894-1930” context as described in the Historic Mining Resources of Park City, Utah MPDF. It meets the registration requirements for the “Mine Development Sites” property type. Although impacted by neglect, fire and long-term abandonment, the Little Bell Mine Site is evocative of small scale mining in Park City and retains its integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, and association to its period of significance 1901-1929.
The Period of Significance is 1901 to 1929. It is defined from the sinking of the Little Bell shaft and extensive underground exploration which resulted in the necessary storage of waste rock and construction of the supporting surface plant. Production of ore required expansion of the surface plant and building the ore bin 1905. Profitability sustained, the mine’s production continued through the 1910s. However, dwindling resources and depressed silver prices lead to the closure of the surface plant and ultimately the sale of the mine in 1929.