14 Thomas Kearns'
THOMAS KEARNS, who arrived in Park City in 1883 when that community was a booming mining center of about 3,000 population, was born April 11, 1862, in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. His parents, Thomas Kearns and Margaret Maher Kearns, both from Ireland, eventually settled near O'Neill, Holt County, Nebraska, a community founded by Irish immigrants. The father was a farmer and the six children (Bernard, Mary, James, Thomas, John, Margaret) early became acquainted with hard work, but their opportunities for formal education were limited by both location and economics. Thomas, known as Tom throughout his life, had no more than a grammar school education but his aggressive ambitions impelled him to devote considerable effort to self-education throughout his life. Physically, he was compact, muscular, remarkably strong and agile. He was an excellent wrestler and, from early youth, well able to take care of himself in the rough and tough frontier mining camp environment in which he spent much of his life. Farming did not appeal to him, and by the time he was seventeen he was itching to strike out on his own and try his luck in the mining industry which was being glamorized at that time by stories of rich strikes and quick fortunes throughout much of the west. He no doubt had been planning a break with family ties for some time but a Saturday night brawl in a poolhall provided him 178
