Park Record

The Park Record is a twice-weekly newspaper published in Park City, Utah that focuses on news in Park City and Summit County, Utah.^[1] It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Utah, and new print issues are released every Wednesday and Saturday.^[2]

The paper was founded in 1880 and began publication on either February 7^[3] or 8,^[4] 1880 as the Park Mining Record,^[4] and was edited by James Shupback. In June 1881, Harry White became the publisher, and the paper cycled through a variety of mastheads over the next few years. In November 1884, Sam Raddon, formerly with the Salt Lake Tribune, took over as the paper's editor and would oversee the Park Record for the next 65 years. Raddon was a controversial figure since, under his guidance, the newspaper established itself as an "outspoken and critical" publication, and "anti-everything, including anti-Mormon, anti-Chinese, and anti-Indian." Raddon added several small, failing papers to the Record.^[3]

On June 19, 1898, the newspaper's newly completed printing plant^[3] and offices were destroyed^[4] by the "Great Fire of 1898," which consumed most of Park City's Main Street, Swede Alley, and Park Avenue.^[5] However, the paper released its June 25, 1898 issue on time.^[4] The first few post-fire issues were printed by the Herald Republican in Salt Lake City, until the Record began printing out of a tent in Park City while the town was being rebuilt.^[3]

In 1956, printing of the Record moved from Park City to the office of The Morgan County News, and continued there until 1960. The newspaper merged with The Summit County Bee to become The Summit County Bee and Park Record in 1960. However, the publication split into two newspapers in July 1964.^[4]

By the 1980s, the Park Record was struggling financially, as Park City had only one surviving silver mine, and the skiing industry supported the town only half of the year. In 1983, the Park Record merged with another, younger local paper called The Newspaper, which began publishing in September 1975. The name Park Record was kept, but the Record's tabloid format was retired and The Newspaper's larger broadsheet pages were used instead.^[6]

In 2015, the Nevada-based Swift Communications bought the newspaper. In 2021, Swift sold its local media and publishing businesses in Utah to the West Virginia-based Ogden Newspapers.^[7]

In 2023, the paper was sold to Utah billionaire Matthew Prince and his wife Tatiana. Matthew Prince is the co-founded and CEO of internet infrastructure and cybersecurity company Cloudflare. The Princes' purchase brought the paper under local ownership for the first time since 2005, when it was partially owned by Peter Bernhard.^[8] The couple plans to convert the paper to a nonprofit or public benefit corporation.^[9]