This Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Park City's largest outdoor dinner party returns to Main Street.  Enjoy a wonderful evening with live music  while sitting on Main Street tasting the best food and drinks from Park City's premier restaurants.  Park City is famous all over the world and part of their claim to fame is the unique beauty of Main Street, the great food and friendly locals.  You don't need tickets but you do need to contact your favorite restaurant and make a reservation.  Prices vary by menu. Should you need a taxi to or from the event, remember FASTAXI can help.  www.fastaxi.org or call us at 435-783-8294.  Here is the event website:  http://www.parkcityrestaurants.com/savor-the-summit for your convenience.

It has almost been 117 years since the Great Fire of Park City which virtually destroyed the town.  Almost every building in Park City was built with wood.  Many times the town had discussed the need for a fire department and firemen because of previous smaller fires.  But they neglected to act. 

Then disaster struck on June 19, 1898 at 4:00 a.m.  A Chinese man walked out on Main Street and noticed smoke.  He ran and notified a sheriff who fired his pistol three times, alerting the residents that Park City was on fire.  The entire town, building by building caught on fire as residents with their bucket brigade tried to extinguish the flames.  Before long their feeble efforts proved useless. 

It was dynamite that saved the town.  Fortunately, with all the mines there were a number of miners that understood if they blew up the fire, it would be robbed of oxygen and die.  It was their only chance and that is exactly what they did.

Most of the town was in ruins and today those buildings that survived are marked with historical plaques.  The town was rebuilt and this time with more stone and brick.  Also, the town started a fire department and built a bell tower that exists today.  In the bell tower they installed a siren and made it tall enough to hang their fire hoses.

Today on Main Street at 10:00 p.m. you will hear a siren that sounds like an air raid.  It is coming from the Bell Tower right next to the post office.  You can learn all about Park City by visiting our museum where the old fire station and bell tower still stands. http://parkcityhistory.org/ at 528 Main Street.  There is free admission for locals on June 18th.  This little bit of Park City History is brought to you by:  www.fastaxi.org  435-783-8294. If you need a taxi or a ride to the airport, we can help.

Everyone knows I love Park City and especially the locals.  Part of my love of Park City is it's wonderful history.  So, here are a few things you may not know.

1.  The biggest fire in Utah history happened in Park City on June 19, 1898.  It almost completely destroyed the town. 

2.  During Prohibition there were 28 bars on Main Street and only 1 did not serve alcohol.

3.  Back in Prehistoric days, there were dinosaur's in Park City.

4. Under the streets of Park City there is over 1,000 (yes, ONE THOUSAND) miles of underground tunnels.

5.  Abraham Lincoln had a hand in the development of Park City by causing the silver rush and taking the land from the Indians an giving it to the settlers.

6.The founding fathers of Park City were polygamist.  Samuel Snyder (Snyderville which is the Canyons) had five wives.  Heber C. Kimball (Heber City and Heber Ave are named after him) had 43 wives and Jedediah Grant had seven wives.

7. Park City was one of the first towns in Utah to get the telephone.

8. Park City was once know for Grizzly Bear.  They went extinct because the pioneers ate them all.

I hope you enjoyed this little history.  If you did, follow our blog and like us on Facebook.  www.fastaxi.org