Silver was discovered in Alta, UT, in 1864, and the first building was constructed in 1868; in 1870, the population was 216. An 1878 fire and an 1885 avalanche destroyed most of the original town. In 1952, the first dog in the US to locate avalanche victims was in Alta. Per the 2010 Census, Alta had 383 residents, and the demographic breakdown was 67% male, 93% white, and 92.7% aged 18-64.