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SAN MIGUEL COUNTY |
OphirRIO GRANDE SOUTHERN RAILROAD BRIDGE 51-A Constructed between 1910 and 1912, this 146-foot long wooden bridge is associated with the Rio Grande Southern Railway. Built on a sharp 24-degree curve, its engineering reflects the suitability of the narrow gauge lines in Colorado’s difficult mountainous terrain. RIO GRANDE SOUTHERN RAILROAD TROUT LAKE WATER TANK 
A rare surviving example of a once common structure in Colorado’s railroad landscape, the tank provided water to countless steam locomotives on the Ridgway to Rico division of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS) from its construction in 1891 until the last RGS train ran the line in 1951. The tank was a very necessary stop, especially for trains that consumed a great deal of water while working in the area’s heavy snows and difficult terrain. The RGS constructed sixteen water tanks, at approximately ten-mile increments, along its 162-mile length to service locomotives. These tanks were of wood construction with conical roofs and a 50,000-gallon capacity that dispensed water by gravity through a goose neck delivery spout. After abandonment, all but three of the water tanks were removed, and Trout Lake is the best preserved. Listed under Railroads in Colorado Multiple Property Submission. PlacervilleSCHMID RANCH 
Long associated with the history of high country ranching on Wilson
Mesa, the Schmid Ranch contains three distinct ranchsteads developed
on five homestead parcels. The original 160 acre homestead dates
from 1882. Over the years, the ranch functioned as an important
hay producing, cattle, and dairy operation. The collection of buildings,
dating from the 1880s to the 1970s, represents the vernacular nature
of agricultural buildings, their evolution and growth through continued
use, and the pattern of relocation to accommodate changing needs.
In addition, many of the buildings illustrate a variety of log
construction techniques. The ranch is the last intact example of
the many agricultural operations that once covered the mesa. Due
to increasing development pressures, members of the Schmid family
have placed a conservation easement on the approximately 800 acre
property. TellurideFALL CREEK TRAM AT PRIMOS SIDING Constructed in 1918 with some rebuilding in 1940, the tram is important as the last remaining structure from the vanadium mining industry that operated in the Lower San Miguel Mining District. The tram is one of very few surviving aerial tramways in the region. FORT PEABODY Straddling the Ouray & San Miguel County lines near Telluride at an elevation of over 13,000 feet, Fort Peabody is associated with Colorado’s hard-rock labor strikes of 1903-04. A local Colorado National Guard unit constructed this redoubt in early 1904. Consisting of a small guardhouse, a flag mount, and what some characterized as a sniper’s nest, troops occupied the defensive fortification until martial law was revoked in June of that year. Built for a single purpose–to prevent members of the Western Federation of Miners, union sympathizers, and previously deported men from entering San Miguel County by way of Imogene Pass–the site illustrates how quickly and often illegally mine owner management gained control of local government and the Colorado National Guard to run roughshod over the legal, political, and economic rights of union members. The fort was named for then Governor James H. Peabody, who used the national guard to realize the anti-union objectives of the mine owners. The site tells the story of conquest, class, and the role of state government. It epitomizes the conflict between mine owners and the Western Federation of Miners, the questionable use of the national guard, and the discrimination faced by union members. SMUGGLER-UNION HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT/BRIDAL VEIL POWERHOUSE Opened in 1907, the power plant is associated with the development of the Smuggler-Union Mining Company, one of Colorado’s most important producers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. TELLURIDE HISTORIC DISTRICT The district encompasses most of the original town and is significant for its association with the settlement of the western frontier and the development of metal mining. The architecture of its approximately 300 contributing buildings is representative of 19th century western mining "boom town" construction. VANCE JUNCTION COAL CHUTE The circa 1890 chute is associated with the Rio Grande Southern Railway’s narrow-gauge line that operated through the mountainous regions of southwestern Colorado. Once common along coal burning railroads, it is Colorado’s only remaining coaling chute on a narrow-gauge line. |