Coalville – History, Culture and Rail Trail

Coalville combines a multifaceted local history with surroundings where culture and outdoor activity come together. The town was founded in 1859 by William Henderson Smith and was originally called “Chalk Creek”. For planning your trip, this offers two different approaches: you can explore historic buildings and museums or experience the landscape on the nearby Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail.

History Around Chalk Creek

The history of Coalville dates back to a time when the town’s development was closely connected to the region’s raw materials and transportation routes. Coal outcrops were discovered in the Chalk Creek area as early as 1858. Coalville’s early settlers built a fort on the hill above Chalk Creek. In 1873, the Utah Eastern Narrow Gauge railway was built to the Wasatch Mine. The cars were pulled to the mine by mules and then lowered by gravity. Details like these make the industrial past a vivid subject for a historically oriented holiday.

Historic Buildings and Museums

An important point of interest is the Summit County Historical Museum in the basement of the County Courthouse at 60 North Main Street. It can be visited by prior arrangement. The courthouse itself was built in 1903–04 in the Romanesque Revival style and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Thomas L. Allen House at 98 North Main Street is also part of the local architectural history; it was built in the 1880s and is predominantly in the Italianate architectural style.

Other notable examples include the John Boyden House, a two-story brick building featuring elements of Utah’s Victorian pattern-book architecture. The building was expanded around an original brick house into a T-shaped house in the Gothic Revival style. The Rock Schoolhouse was begun in 1865 and dedicated on September 21, 1869. The Echo Depot was moved to its present location west of the Summit County Fairgrounds in Coalville. In addition, the Coalville DUP Museum is located at 101 South Main Street and the Historic Echo Church and Museum at 60 Temple Lane in Coalville.

The Summit County Fair

The Summit County Fair takes place annually during the first full week of August, with Coalville as its main location. The event features cowboys and bucking broncos, a carnival, beauty queens, and homemade canned foods, flowers and vegetables. If you plan your trip for this period, the historical impressions are complemented by a distinctly different, festive view of local tradition.

Exploring the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail

The 28-mile, non-motorized Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail runs through the area around Coalville, from Park City to Echo Reservoir. The trail offers insights into the area’s wildlife and wildflowers and can be explored on foot, by mountain bike, on skis or on horseback. This allows you to shape your trip around your preferred activities: you can experience the route as a hike, a sporting outing or on horseback while discovering another side of the region.

Choosing Accommodation for Your Trip

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Coalville, it is worth deciding on your main focus first. Those interested in local history can center their trip around the museums, buildings and development around Chalk Creek. Those who would rather spend more time outdoors can plan around the Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail. If different preferences come together in your travel group, the historical attractions, the fair and the various trail activities offer several distinct travel ideas without requiring you to commit to just one way of exploring.

For further orientation, you can also discover Summit Park, Park City and Kamas.

For the overview of the wider destination: Summit.