From late 1930 to mid-1931, the “White Way” in Park City was a heated topic in local politics and business. Luckily, it’s not what you’re thinking. The “White Way” in our town had nothing to do with race or racism. In Park City, the “White Way” meant a new lighting system for Main S treet. Discussion of improved lighting on Main Street began in earnest in late September 1930. Generally, the City Council was in favor of the civic improvement, and The Park Record was positive in their reporting about the concept. On Dec. 5, after a few discussions had happened in council meetings, there was a town hall to discuss lighting Main Street, with the paper telling business owners and nearby residents to “be there.” The meeting was fruitful in its discussion. A representative of the local Utah Power Light Company gave an outline of the proposed system, which would begin at the bottom of Main Street by the Union Pacific Depot, and would have 43 light poles zig zag up Main Street to Pezeley’s Market, about where the Brewpub lot is today. The new system would have underground wiring and the poles would have a more ornamental look, replacing basic light poles with overhead wiring. The few businesses that had front porches stretching over the sidewalk would have to remove them — which Charley Chong, owner of the Senate Café, did the day after the meeting in anticipation of the project going through. Construction was estimated to take several weeks, but all of the work would be done by local workers — a big need during the Great Depression, as many people in Summit County needed work (though we had it better than other places, as the mines and most businesses remained open). The biggest piece of discussion was the cost. As the city did not have much of a budget during the Great Depression, the funding would have to come from the Main Street business owners. The Utah Power Light Company would over approximately $6,000 (roughly $126,000 today), and the rest of the Main Street business would have to put up around $12,000 between them, paid out over 10 years. At the meeting, most were in full favor, but these costs would stir up a few vocal business owners for the first few months of 1931. A committee formed to work on the project surveyed the Main Street property owners and found that a vast majority approved of the project, making City Council comfortable to bring proposals for the work to their meetings for a vote. But in the January meetings, a small group appeared in protest of the “White Way.” Led by A.R. Haustein, they took over the discussion portion of the meetings with fiery language in opposition of the lighting improvements. The Park Record showed its stance, with a comment at the end of its report on the Jan. 9 meeting, saying Haustein and others displayed a strange “eagerness to prevent a progressive move by the city administration for the benefit and betterment of the citizens in general.” Haustein later returned to council with a petition of signatures of owners opposed to the project, but it was found that almost all of the signers no longer lived in Park City. At a special Jan. 23 council meeting, councilors unanimously passed a resolution to move forward with the project, despite protests from Haustein, who had brought two lawyers to the meeting to make oral arguments against the project. Their stance was that the project, in general, was a good idea, but the timing was bad and would put financial strain (or worse) on business owners due to the Depression. The councilors noted their concern but countered that the new lighting system would provide jobs and financial benefit for Main Street businesses once operational. Fourteen companies put in a bid for the project (showing how readily people needed work), and the council chose the Silver Construction Company from Salt Lake, which employed an almost entirely local crew for the project. By the time everything was sorted out, construction was delayed until April and May of 1931. In regular Park City fashion, they decided to have a celebration and Mardi Gras-style parade to commemorate the new “White Way.” Just before dusk on June 11, 1931, Parkites paraded from the Denver Rio Grande depot up Main Street to the intersection with Daly Avenue and then back down to City Hall (the Museum today), where they waited for the sun to set before the Mayor turned on the new lights. Revelers then partied through the night, to the displeasure of many, with The Park Record calling it a “wild orgy – and a discredit to” Park City and the effort to install “the most modern and perfect street lighting system in the state,” which had been specially designed for Park City. Park City Loves A Parade: Our Parades, Processions and Protests from Past to Present runs in the Museum’s Tozer Gallery until April 4, 2027. Learn all about the creative and interesting ways Parkites have celebrated our town, mourned our loved ones, and stood up for our beliefs. The post Way We Were: Park City’s ‘White Way’ appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less