Supporting History

Saving Colorado's Mining Heritage

July, 2001

The State Historical Fund has supported many projects that preserve Colorado's mining heritage. Millions of dollars have been invested in gems like Leadville, Georgetown, St. Elmo, Ouray, Telluride, Victor, Silverton, and other towns that once owed their existence to the mining industry. But mining activities generally went on outside of these communities, where the danger, noise, and smells would have less effect on commerce and the ability to create a peaceful home life.

Outside of town one might find headframes, assay offices, bunkhouses, stamp mills, cyanide mills, trams, blacksmith shops, and even dredges. The Fund supports the preservation of these important landmarks, and has expressed this support through generous funding for many such projects.

In most cases, the Fund is called upon to help stabilize ruins of historic mining structures. One such effort is currently underway in the Red Mountain Mining District, where the Ouray County and San Juan County Historical Societies have come together to support a variety of projects. The Kohler Bunkhouse is one property where work has been completed. A two-story wooden structure, the Kohler Bunkhouse sits on a knoll above Highway 550 just south of the Ouray County line. It has been estimated that two million tourists pass by this landmark every year. The roof had collapsed, and the structure was in danger of total failure. The Fund's $9,187 grant was matched by an additional $3,063 for a total project of $12,250. With these funds, the roof was repaired, structural repairs were made, and site work was accomplished to drain rain and snowmelt away from the building's sensitive foundation. The bunkhouse is still technically a "ruin," and will not be restored to a "like-new" condition. Preservationists typically agree that such a restoration would result in the loss of too much original material, and would mislead visitors. Instead, such ruins are stabilized to protect them for a further period of years, acknowledging that in time, they may be lost.

The Red Mountain project has also resulted in the stabilization of two frame houses in what was the town of Ironton. These houses, and one other, are the only homes remaining in a town that once supported 125 people. The Ironton townsite is just north of the Kohler Bunkhouse. Work has also been done to stabilize the Silver Ledge Tram House, just south of the Bunkhouse. The building's structure was rotting away. Without intervention, it would have collapsed. A corner post was replaced, footings installed, and the site re-graded. Each of these projects was accomplished with a grant of less than $10,000.

On the other side of the San Juan Mountains in Hinsdale County, a similar project assisted the Hinsdale County Historical Society to stabilize mining structures in the San Juan Mining District. The Empire Chief Mill, Golconda Boarding House, and Capitol City Charcoal Kiln were all stabilized with the Fund's support. In addition, an archaeological study is being conducted in Little Rome, an Italian mining camp, and at the sites of Argentum and Tellurium, both short-lived mining settlements. The total grant for this project was in excess of $100,000, and the applicant matched the grant almost dollar for dollar. The Bureau of Land Management, owner of these significant sites, is an important partner in the project.

The stabilization of the Old Hundred Boardinghouse has been described in this column before. Built high on Galena Mountain outside of Silverton in 1904, the boardinghouse was connected to a nearby tramway terminal that provided access to the Old Hundred Mine and the gulch below. Materials for this stabilization project were brought in by helicopter, and workers labored on precarious slopes to support the failed roof and collapsing walls. The Old Hundred Boardinghouse is once again stable, and can be seen clinging to the rocky mountainside.

Not all State Historical Fund projects involve work on mining structures. Interpretive signs and walking/driving tours are also popular options. In 1998 the Fund provided about $26,000 to Teller County for use in developing the Golden Loop Historic Parkway. A trail was developed through the Vindicator Valley near Goldfield and Victor, with grant funds being used on a series of interpretive signs and associated brochures. Sites along the trail include the Portland Mine, the Strong Mine, the Cresson Mine headframe, the Gold Coin Mine, the Ajax Mine, and the Beebee House. There are also signs on such topics as Women in Mining and District Drain Tunnels, as well as panoramic overlooks. The trail is about two miles long, and offers views of some of Colorado's most picturesque and significant landscapes.

A different approach was taken in Lake County, where the Leadville/Lake County Chamber of Commerce received a grant of $3,680 to design and print a new self-guided driving tour brochure for the Leadville Mining District. The finished brochure includes three tours with ten sites each, including the Mikado Mine, the Printer Boy Mine, the Penrose Mine, and the site of Stumptown.

Among the Fund's most unusual projects is the assessment of the Snowstorm Dredge near Fairplay in Park County. Built in the late 1930s, the dredge operated briefly in 1941, but was shut down during the War. It reopened briefly in 1947, and again in 1976. The last such contraption remaining in Colorado, and one of the last in the U.S., it sits idle on private land just east of Highway 9. The assessment provided plans and photographs of the dredge, a discussion of its condition, and preliminary plans for relocation of the dredge to permit public access.

Colorado's mining heritage is certainly significant to our own state's history. But many of these sites offer examples of some of the best mining resources America has to offer. The State Historical Fund is proud to help stabilize and interpret these important places.

BY MARK WOLFE, Director, State Historical Fund