CPI 2015 Endangered Places Program Brochure

COLORADO’S MOST ENDANGERED PLACES Issue No. 18

2015

A signature initiative of

COLORADO’S MOST ENDANGERED PLACES 2015

In this issue Introduction 2 Denver Tramway Company Streetcar No .04

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Gold Medal Orchard

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Reiling Gold Dredge

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Ute Ulay Mill & Town Site

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Mission & How You Can Help

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Status of Previously Listed Sites

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Sponsor List

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Board Members & Staff

Back Cover

Colorado’s Most Endangered Places Map

Insert

Historic Preservation License Plate

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BUILDING A FUTURE WITH HISTORIC PLACES

Colorado’s Most Endangered Places List 2015 Published Annually • Issue No. 18 This project was partially funded by a grant from the History Colorado State Historical Fund.

SPONSORS:

For more information visit: www.coloradopreservation.org/programs/endangered-places or reach us at: 303.893.4260

WELCOME! C

olorado’s Most Endangered Places Program (EPP) was developed in 1997 to spotlight significant historic resources in need of assistance. A signature initiative of Colorado Preservation, Inc., EPP brings awareness and assistance to sites, structures and cultural landscapes statewide. This program also engages leaders at all levels to find creative and innovative ways to keep Colorado’s heritage alive.

“Preservation is a message to the future, and our efforts make sure that signals from the past enrich the world of our children.” Dominick Sekich, Colorado Preservation, Inc. Board Chair Why should we care about the well-being of Colorado’s heritage? These places tell the story of our state and its people. They are the backbone of our Main Streets and the heart of our traditional neighborhoods. They reflect the tenacity of homesteaders, the technological advances of industrial visionaries and the silent voices of cultures who came before. The collective impact of our efforts to protect, preserve and promote these significant (though threatened) historic places are the legacy we leave to future generations.

Each year, EPP focuses on our listed sites while working with communities to advocate for preservation statewide.

Our program has succeeded in bringing national attention to low profile places. By empowering communities, local governments, individuals, and organizations, the impact of Colorado Preservation, Inc has extended beyond its selected endangered places to hundreds of historic resources statewide.

We are pleased to announce that this year EPP has created a separate SAVED! list, which includes 36 of our once endangered places. Only six of our sites have been lost and the remaining 64 sites stand in various stages of alert and progress. Our listed sites range in style, construction method, time period, and threat. They consist of a variety of resources representative of Colorado’s historic places including: Native American sites, historic farms, ranches, railroad depots, mines, schools, industrial buildings, commercial districts, private residences, mid-century buildings and even historic neon signs! The 2015 sites shed light on Denver’s early streetcar system; a cultural landscape tied to heirloom fruit trees; Colorado’s mining economy with one of the state’s most contextually intact gold dredges, and two of Colorado’s largest producing lead and silver mines.

I urge you to use this EPP brochure as a guide to start your adventures in Colorado’s history; read their stories, visit the sites and meet the individuals dedicated to their future. If you are touched, if you believe in the importance of their preservation, if our EPP sites or other historic sites means something to you, join us in our mission to ensure they remain for our generation and those still to come.

EPP would not be possible without the support of History Colorado’s State Historical Fund and the generous support of our sponsors, donors, and partners. It is because of you that we are able to continue to advance our mission and manage Colorado’s Most Endangered Places. Please become a supporter and/or volunteer of Colorado Preservation, Inc. and help us continue to Build a Future with Historic Places.

Jennifer Orrigo Charles Endangered Places Program Manager

DENVER TRAMWAY COMPANY STREETCAR NO.04 On July 3, 1950 the clatter of Denver’s once thriving transportation system fell quiet as the last streetcar for the Denver Tramway Company (Streetcar No.04) completed its final route.

Today, Streetcar No. 04 is one of only a few remaining streetcars from the Denver Tramway Company. The car at one time carried passengers from downtown Denver to Lakeside Amusement Park, Berkeley Park, Arvada, Golden, and beyond. For nearly 40 years, the electric streetcar served as the main link from Denver to the suburbs—a beloved icon that was one of the most advanced transportation systems of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Built in 1911, Streetcar No.04 was one of only four cars converted from a standard gauge rail to a narrow gauge in 1924. Today, Streetcar No.04 is the only surviving converted narrow gauge car and the last streetcar to operate in revenue service.

Denver’s streetcar system began 12 years after the city’s founding and physically shaped the city as we know it today. Many of Denver’s embedded commercial districts and popular neighborhoods first emerged as key

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JEFFERSON COUNTY

stops on the robust streetcar network. At the height of trolley operations, the Denver Tramway Company owned more than 160 miles of track and operated over 250 streetcars.

By 1950, only 64 cars were still in use as motor buses began to take favor. After abandoning the rail network in 1950, the Denver Tramway Company sold the trolley bodies for $100 each. Ownership of Streetcar No.04 changed hands with it serving as a family cabin near Rollinsville before it was purchased and stored at the Forney Transportation Museum in the 1990s. The car was eventually donated to the current owners, the Denver Rail Heritage Society, in 2000. Over time the car suffered from exposure to the elements; the siding is rotting, its windows are broken, and the distinctive yellow metal siding is rusting and/or missing.

Without a secure and protected location No.04 will continue to deteriorate. The first priority for future preservation of the car is to protect it from further damage. Long-term plans for the streetcar include restoring to its 1950s appearance.

Colorado Preservation, Inc. recognizes the significance of Streetcar No.04 and the opportunity of this resource to bring awareness to the history of the streetcar system in Denver.

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GOLD MEDAL ORCHARD Historic Preservation is more than the preservation of important buildings; it also includes the protection of important cultural landscapes. Like historic buildings and National Register Districts, cultural landscapes provide a sense of place and identity often consciously designed and evolved through utilization. Historic landscapes include gardens, parks, scenic highways, rural communities, cemeteries, and battlefields, among others. This year EPP highlights the significance of historic agricultural landscapes through the listing of the Gold Medal Orchard.

The world came to St. Louis in 1904 to celebrate America’s progress since the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Covering 1,240 acres, the St. Louis World’s Fair more than doubled the size of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and drew crowds of over 20 million. Colorado proudly exhibited the fertility of the state at the Palace of Agriculture, presenting potatoes from Greeley, cantaloupes from Rocky Ford, and fruit from Montezuma County. An orchard from Montezuma County emerged from the competition and established national recognition by receiving a gold medal at the fair for its excellent fruit varieties. The orchard, Kadesh Orchard, changed its name to the Gold Medal Orchard in order to capitalize on the award’s national recognition.

The Gold Medal Orchard was at one time among the most famous orchards in Colorado. Planted before 1900 by James T. Giles, at the time of the St. Louis World’s Fair, the orchard was owned by Reverend Howard R. Antes. Today, the property is nearing qualification as a Centennial Farm and remains one of the earliest planted commercial orchards in the county. The orchard’s history is closely tied to early Colorado orchardists who dared to make a living in these rugged and remote locations. Several of the farm’s fruit varieties have been traced to the orchard of well-known pioneer Jessie Frazer whose original stock he brought by wagon from Missouri in the 1860’s. The surviving trees of the Gold Medal Orchard provide a living link to Jessie Frazer and his family.

Reverend Howard R. Antes and the 1904 World’s Fair gold medal.

MONTEZUMA COUNTY The development of the Gold Medal Orchard is associated with the evolution of Colorado’s irrigation and water rights.

The orchard is regionally connected to another EPP site, the McElmo Creek Flume (listed in 2011). The Montezuma Valley Irrigation District, a mutual ditch company later known as the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company, played an important role in the expansion and operation of agriculture in southwest Colorado’s Montezuma Valley. The Company began developing an irrigation system in 1885 that created a network of flumes and canals extending over 150 miles throughout southwestern Colorado. McElmo Creek Flume remains a rare example of these structures that brought water to many of the county’s farms (although water from the McElmo Creek Flume did not directly serve the Gold Medal Orchard).

Today, the once expansive, award-winning, orchard stands overrun with rabbit brush and sage; a mere 6.7 acres with only a few surviving historic trees. The property is in danger of being redeveloped and its history forgotten. The owners, however, have a vision to bring the heirloom fruit varieties back to Montezuma County. The family hopes to reestablish the orchard with the help of the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project whose mission is to restore an orchard culture and economy to Southwestern Colorado by preserving Montezuma Valley’s fruit-growing heritage.

An early 20th century vernacular

building on site whose future use Restoration of the orchard’s will be connected to the orchard’s historic landscape will provide a revitalization living representation of the early agricultural founding of Montezuma County and highlight the importance of apple growing to the area. According to the Agricultural Census, Montezuma County had 699 orchards in 1925. In 2012, only 66 orchards remained.

Future plans for the site would preserve the heritage fruit varieties by becoming a source of genetic material to replant other orchards and serve as a repository for the history of agriculture in the county.

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REILING GOLD DREDGE Situated 2.6 miles east of Breckenridge, the Reiling Gold Dredge was constructed in 1908 to mine gold from Summit County for the French Gulch Dredging Company.

As constructed, the dredge was a large barge-like boat with mining machinery on a floating substructure. On large gold dredges, like the Reiling Dredge, buckets dumped river gravel, sand, and dirt into a steel rotating cylinder that sloped towards a rubber belt. The belt carried away oversize material and dumped the rock behind the dredge. The cylinder allowed undersized material, including gold, to fall into a sluice box for collection. Gold dredges allowed mining companies to retrieve potentially difficult gold on a large scale and had the capacity of moving 2,000 yards of material a day.

The Reiling Gold Dredge remained in operation from 1908 until its accidental partial sinking in 1922. It has remained unmoved in a state of on-going decay since its sinking. The internal structures, walls and the roof have collapsed over time, leading to the compromise of its structural integrity.

Due to fear of collapse, bracing cables where installed in 2012 to provide temporary stability to the structure. The dredge, however, continues to deteriorate and the fix is only adequate for up to two years. To prevent further deterioration, and the complete loss of this unique historic resource, future

Above: Reiling Gold Dredge, circa 1960s.

Right: Dredge with rock tailings.

SUMMIT COUNTY plans will require stabilization of the structure, basic repairs, and a method to reduce rot at the water level.

The Reiling Gold Dredge today is one of only a few intact dredges from the early twentieth century with its original historic context in place.

The dredge site retains the remains of the original mining camp, unexplored archaeological features, the pond and 2.5 miles of rock tailings produced by the dredge. The site is currently jointly owned by the Town of Breckenridge and Summit County.

Top: Reiling Gold Dredge before sinking in 1921.

Bottom: Detailed drawing of the dredge.

Colorado Preservation, Inc. wishes to bring attention to this unique property and promote its preservation. Retaining the dredge and its historic context in place will preserve a rare structure and landscape that speaks to the important mining economy in Colorado. Additionally, the dredge’s location on an interpretive hiking trail makes it possible for this resource to be a heritage tourism destination and education site.

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UTE ULAY MILL & TOWN SITE The Ute and Ulay mines were some of the best known silver and lead producers in Colorado.

Between 1874 and 1903, the mines were responsible for $12 million worth of minerals, which today would amount to more than $280 million in value.

Located in Hinsdale County, the mines were largely responsible for the development of Lake City. The booming mining-based economy attracted thousands of people to the area and the mines continued to remain in production on and off through the 1980s.

Thanks to LKA Gold, the ten-acre site has been donated to Hinsdale County and the environmental stabilization work completed with the assistance of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Colorado Department of Public Health & the Environment (CDPHE), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The site consists of 18 structures including residential

HINSDALE COUNTY cabins, a blacksmith shop, a boarding house, a red-cedar water tank, and assayer’s office. Over the past twenty years, the structures have continued to degrade during adverse weather and many are unstable. Due to the unsafe nature of the site, the public is currently not allowed near the buildings. A Historic Structures Assessment will need to be completed to determine each structure’s needs in order to stabilize the buildings for future reuse.

The Ute and Ulay mines, mill complex and surrounding Henson town site are rare examples of a more complete mining community with large amount of historic fabric remaining. The site’s location along the Alpine Loop Backcountry Scenic and Historic Byway increases its opportunity for education and a heritage tourism destination.

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OUR MISSION Colorado Preservation, Inc. (CPI) was founded in 1984 to promote historic preservation by providing information, education, training, expertise, and advocacy to Colorado communities and individuals.

CPI engages leaders with local governments and non-profit organizations and assists historic property owners, educators, and interested citizens to develop successful preservation projects and programs. CPI administers Colorado’s Most Endangered Places Program (EPP), presents the annual Saving Places Conference, hosts the Dana Crawford & State Honor Awards recognizing excellence in historic preservation, and maintains an active presence in the state legislature. CPI also provides services in grant and preservation program management, and undertakes projects that serve as models for preservation statewide.

HOW YOU CAN HELP Take action and become a champion today!

Your help is needed in many ways.

• Become an Endangered Places Sponsor.

Your donation of $100 or more will help provide necessary funding for the program and can contribute to matching grant funds.

• Volunteer! Teams of dedicated individuals with a variety of skills are needed. Weekend workshops provide our volunteers with exciting hands-on experience and learning opportunities.

• Sign the petition! CPI has launched a statewide initiative to establish a motor vehicle license plate for historic preservation. Proceeds will be earmarked to help fund our Endangered Places Program.

• Attend the Saving Places® Conference! Learn the latest techniques to take your own action right at home to more historic places do not fall prey to deterioration, neglect and abandonment. And while you’re at the conference, be sure to bid high and bid often on over 150 Silent Auction items whose proceeds are earmarked for the Endangered Places Program.

Support Colorado Preservation, Inc. today! Become a

sustaining supporter online or by mail. Learn more at

www.coloradopreservation.org/get-involved.

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PAST LIST DESIGNATIONS & STATUS SAVED! Beaumont Home (2004), Pueblo County Bradford Perley House (2002), Jefferson County Chimney Rock National Monument(2008), Archuleta County City Ditch (2003), Douglas, Arapahoe, and Denver Counties Civic Center (2007), Denver County Colorado Capitol Dome (2010), Denver County (SAVE for 2015!)

Como Depot (2006), Park County (SAVE for 2015!)

Rialto Theatre (2008), Alamosa County Rock Creek Stage Stop (2000), Routt County San Rafael Church (2001), Conejos County Satank Bridge (2003), Garfield County Shield Rock Art Site (2001), Rio Blanco County Studzinski Block (2001), Pueblo County Toltec Hotel (1998), Las Animas County

Cripple Creek (1998), Teller County

Progress

Daniels Schoolhouse (2006), Weld County

Alta Lakes (2000), San Miguel County

Downtown Greeley (2000), Weld County

Amache Internment Camp (2001), Prowers County

Durango Power House (2001), La Plata County

Arkansas Valley Fairground Adobe Stables (2007), Otero County

Emma Store (2000), Pitkin County

Bent County High School (2004), Bent County

Evans School (2000), Denver County Georgetown School (2006), Clear Creek County

Brown’s Sheep Camp (2010), Las Animas County Central City (1998), Gilpin County

Greeley, Salt Lake and Pacific RR Grade-Stout Branch (2009), Larimer County Hahn’s Peak Fire Lookout (2014), Routt County (Moved from Alert to Progress!)

Historic Eastside Neighborhood (2012), Pueblo County Historic I-70 Mountain Corridor Communities (2005), Clear Creek County Homesteading Resources of Escalante Canyon (2013), Delta County Hotchkiss Barn (2013), Delta County Hugo Roundhouse (2002), Lincoln County InterLaken Resort (2001), Lake County Leadville Mining District (1998), Lake County Lizzy Knight’s Cabin (2012), Rural Dolores County McElmo Creek Flume (2011), Montezuma County Moffat Road/Hill Road (2012), Rural Boulder, Grand, and Gilpin Counties

Grandview Terrace Neighborhood (1999), Boulder County

Colona School & Grange (2006), Ouray County

Grant Avenue Church & Community Center (2002), Denver County

Colorado Fuel & Iron Plant-Museum (1999), Pueblo County

Handy Chapel (2011), Mesa County

Commodore Mining District (2006), Mineral County

Neon Signs of Colfax (2014), Denver County (Moved from Alert to Progress!)

Crossan’s Market (2012), Routt County

Outbuildings of Lake City (2010), Hinsdale County

Dearfield Farming Colony (1999), Weld County

Paris Mill (2004), Park County

Hanger 61 (2005), Denver County Hanging Flume (1999), Montrose County Hutchinson Homestead & Ranch (2003), Chaffee County Kennedy/Mancos Grain Elevator (2013), Montezuma County (SAVE for 2015!)

Lewis Mill (1998), San Miguel County

Denver & Rio Grande Antonito Depot (2007), Conejos County Deputy Warden’s House (2011), Fremont County

Native American Arboreal Wickiup & Teepee Sites (2003), Statewide

Ralston Cemetery (2011), Jefferson County Riverside Cemetery (2008), Denver and Adams Counties Salida Opera House (2011), Chaffee County

Lime Kilns (2001), Pitkin County

El Corazon de Trinidad Distinctive Commercial District (2000), Las Animas County

Manitou Springs Spa (2000), El Paso County

Elkhorn Lodge (2010), Larimer County

Original Gold Hill Townsite (2000), Boulder County

Sixteenth Street Mall (2009), Denver County

Fort Lyon (2013), Bent County

Snowstorm Gold Dredge (2001), Park County

Pillars of P.O.W. Camp 202 (2005), Weld County

Fourth Street Commercial District, Saguache (2009), Saguache County

Preston Farm (1998), Larimer County

Fruita Bridge (2002), Mesa County

Red Mountain Mining District (1999), Ouray and San Miguel Counties Redstone Castle (2004), Pitkin County

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Goodnight Barn (2002), Pueblo County Grand Junction Depot (2010), Mesa County

Silver Dollar Saloon (2008), Teller County

Soldiers & Sailors Home (2005), Rio Grande County Stranges Grocery (2001), Mesa County Sullivan Gateway (2012), Denver County

Alert 4 Bar 4 Ranch (2014), Grand County Black Hawk (1998), Gilpin County Central Platoon School (2012), Morgan County Colorado Fuel & Iron PlantIndustrial Plant (1999), Pueblo County Craig Depot (2008), Moffat County Denver Tramway Company Streetcar No. 04 (2015), Jefferson County Foxton Post Office (2002), Jefferson County Gianella Building (2004), Las Animas County Gold Medal Orchard (2015), Montezuma County Hispanic Cultural Landscapes of the Purgatoire River Valley (1998), Las Animas County McLaughlin Building (2007), Pueblo County Mid-Century Resources of Littleton Boulevard (2014), Arapahoe County Montoya Ranch (2014), Huerfano County Reiling Gold Dredge (2015), Summit County Santa Fe Trail & Southeast Heritage Region (2007), Baca, Bent, Las Animas & Otero Counties Union Pacific Pumphouse (2005), Cheyenne County Ute Ulay Mill & Town site (2015), Hinsdale County Walsenburg Power Plant (2009), Huerfano County

Lost Christian Science Church (1998), Teller County Columbian Elementary School (2004), Bent County Currigan Exhibition Hall (2000), Denver County Given Institute (2011), Pitkin County Kit Carson Hotel (2003), Otero County Willowcroft Manor & Farm (2010), Arapahoe County

Sundial Plaza/Cranmer Park (2013), Denver County Windsor Mill (2002), Weld County

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PARTNERS & DONORS Colorado Preservation, Inc. gratefully acknowledges the following for their generous support in 2014.

Sponsors:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

2014 Donors: Arianthe Stettner Aspen Skiing Company Bandimere Speedway Banshee Press Beatty Canyon Ranch BD’s Mongolian Grill Bessemer Historical Society Boulder Chamber Orchestra Box Canyon Lodge and Hot Springs Breckenridge Heritage Alliance Brewers Association Carole Lomond Central City Opera Cherry Cricket City of Greeley, Historic Preservation Office City of Loveland Clear Creek Reps Clyfford Still Museum Colorado Chautauqua Colorado Railroad Museum Colorado Symphony Core Power Yoga Cortez Cultural Center Creede Repertory Theatre Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Dan Corson Danielle Dascalos Denver Art Glass Denver Art Museum Denver Bike Sharing Denver Firefighters Museum Denver Nuggets Denver Parks and Rec Denver Zoo Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

Editorial Pathways eGo Carshares Eldorado Artesian Springs Inc. Elixir Mind Body Massage Enstrom Candy Fresh Fish Company Frisco Historic Park and Museum Georgetown Gateway Visitor Center Georgetown Loop Railroad Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park Governor’s Mansion Grand Lake Historical Society Havey Productions High County News History Colorado Center Hyatt Regency Denver Inklings Book Store Inverness Hotel JoVonne Fitzgerald Julie Johnson Kevin Murray Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Arts Kit Carson County Carousel Association Krista Lyons La Junta Tourism Landmark Theatres Lodge Casino Lost Wells Cattle Co. Maggiano’s Little Italy Mary Sullivan Mesa Verde Museum Association, Inc. Molly Brown House Museum

Montoya Ranch at Farisita Mudhead Gallery Old Mill Brewery Oxford Hotel Patrick Eidman Phelps and Associates Picket Wire Canyonlands Pink Fog Studios Prost Brewing Queen City Architectural Salvage R & D Wine Shop Rancho Durazno Rebecca Goodwin Red Door Antiques and Art Gallery Redline Redstone Castle Rick Cronenberger Sky Venture Colorado Smoky Anderson Supporters of Colorado Preservation Plan for SE CO Tea for Ewe Teatulia The Kitchen Thread of Pioneers Museum Tom Noel University of Colorado Boulder US Forest Service Victor Lowell Thomas Museum Vineyard Wine Shop Visions West Gallery Watkins Stained Glass Studio White Fence Farms William A. Rooney

Colorado Preservation, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3, and Colorado’s only statewide nonprofit grassroots preservation organization.

1420 Ogden Street, Suite 104 Denver, Colorado 80218 (303) 893-4260

ColoradoPreservation.org jorrigocharles@coloradopreservation.org #coloradopreservation

@COPreservation

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1420 Ogden Street 路 Suite 104 Denver, CO 80218 P 303.893.4260 E jorrigocharles@coloradopreservation.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS & STAFF Colorado Preservation, Inc. Board of Directors Dominick Sekich, Chair, Denver Elizabeth Hallas, Chair Elect, Golden T. Drew Notestine, Vice-Chair Eastern Slope, Greeley Dave Lively, Vice-Chair Western Slope, Grand Lake Alan Matlosz, Treasurer, Denver Rebecca Goodwin, Secretary and Chair Emeritus, La Junta Linda Balough, Fairplay Mike Coughlin, Denver Matt Goebel, Denver Julie Johnson, Denver Jim Kroll, Denver

Mike Metcalf, Eagle Robert E. Musgraves, Denver Bill Nelson, Denver Bentley Rayburn, Colo. Springs Robin Theobald, Breckenridge

Colorado Preservation Staff Roxanne Eflin, Executive Director Jennifer Orrigo Charles, Endangered Places Program Manager Rachel Parris, Preservation Services Director Cindy Nasky, Events and Development Manager Lori Mellon, Bookkeeper