Who was Lady Morgan? It’s a question you often hear when skiing at Deer Valley Resort, where the Lady Morgan Express chairlift serves the Empire Canyon area. There are several hypotheses, all of which are perhaps unprovable. Here’s what we know.

In August 1878, Philip Morgan, 31, filed the Lady Morgan claim, located halfway down what is now the Supreme ski run, off the Empire Express chairlift. It was one of 15 claims that ultimately became known as the Morgan Silver Mining Co. A number of these claims underlie what skiers call Lady Morgan Bowl, skier’s left of Supreme.

Philip had emigrated from Glamorgan, Wales, an area known for coal mining. He and his brother Henry were attracted by the possibilities of Park City’s hard rock. This brings us to the naming hypotheses:

Hypothesis 1: Phi

See Full Page