Colona School & Grange

Listed: 2006

Constructed: 1915

Threat: Deterioration; lack of maintenance

Closest Town to Resource: Montrose

Significance: Designated a Local Landmark by Ouray County and listed on the State Register of Historic Properties, the Colona School is significant for its unique setting in the agrarian landscape and its role in the education and social history of the area. In addition to serving as a school, the space was used for community dances, receptions, plays, parties, recitals, events, and elections. The building has never been abandoned and used at least once a month since the school closed. Unlike many school buildings, there has been no significant change to the outside or inside of the school. Blackboards remain in place, a painted stage curtain dating from the 1930s still hangs above the lighted foot stage, the gym remains on the second floor, old schoolbooks remain in the locked library cabinet, a bubbling fountain stands in the hall, room colors remain the same and pictures used in the classroom still hand on the walls. A small but determined group, the Colona Grange, has organized to help save the school and received several grants for restoration from the State Historical Fund. Since its listing on the Most Endangered Places, the roof, and windows have been replaced, soffits tightened, and a handicap ramp installed on the back of the building. Currently, the grange owns the building and receives income from the Ouray County Ranch Museum, which rents two rooms on the first floor. This important building celebrated its centennial year in 2016 and is now considered saved.

Site Needs: Funding for additional interior room restoration and interpretation.

Chimney Rock

Listed: 2008

Constructed: 1076-1125 A.D.

Threat: Natural elements; vandalism

Closest Town to Resource: Pagosa Springs

Significance: In southwestern Colorado stands the “Ultimate Outlier,” one of the most remarkable examples of the Chacoan culture’s organizational structure, Chimney Rock. Chaco Canyon was the ceremonial center for more than 200 independent communities linked by economic, political, and religious ideals. The furthest was the Chimney Rock site. At an elevation of 7,600ft, this extremely remote site – l,000 feet above arable land and water – is a testament to the Ancient Puebloans’ design, planning, and craftsmanship. When the site was listed on Colorado Preservation, Inc.’s Most Endangered Places, hundreds of years of exposure to the elements had taken their toll on the irreplaceable structures at Chimney Rock. The most serious structural problems at the Great House, Great Kiva, and the Ravine Site Habitation Complex were due to natural weathering and climate changes. Unusually heavy monsoon rains in 2006 saturated soils, causing several walls to collapse, and while emergency stabilization was completed, an overwhelming amount of work remained to be accomplished. Today the site is saved and considered a World Heritage Site.

Listed: 2012

Constructed: 1881

Threat: Demolition by neglect; vacancy; vandalism; weatherization

Closest Town to Resource: Slick Rock

Significance: Located in the Disappointment Valley in Southwest Colorado, Lizzy Knight’s cabin and three small outbuildings are all that remain of the Lizzy Knight homestead. Lizzy Knight was an important female pioneer in early Colorado. Born in England, Lizzy broke traditional gender barriers and trained to be an expert blacksmith. Lizzy and her daughter were the first female residents of Rico in America. She operated a small dairy that provided milk and butter to the booming mining camps in the area.

In 1881, Lizzy divorced her husband and married her son-in-law Henry Knight (who had divorced Lizzy’s daughter), and the new couple moved to the Disappointment Valley into the modest log cabin now known as Lizzy Knight’s Cabin. The Knight homestead was soon the commercial and social center for the Disappointment Valley. In addition to her dairy and beef cattle herds, she also ran a store that supplied materials to the surrounding settlers. Henry became the first postmaster. Lizzy lived and worked in the cabin until her death in 1914.

The site is now privately owned by Lizzy Knight’s great, great, great-granddaughter, and the remaining buildings stand as the only known buildings from the early settlement of Disappointment Valley. However, the cabin is in very poor condition and near a state of ruin. Serious erosion has washed away much of the soil under and around the cabin. Without near-immediate stabilization, the architect who has taken an interest in the site expects the cabin will likely collapse. The owner is keenly interested in preserving the Knight homestead and making it available by permission to the public and schools in the region as an educational site.

Site Needs: Reestablish site contact and complete the National Register process if necessary.

Update: No activity on this site. CPI has not been able to get in touch with the private property owner to move forward with site needs.

Significance: The Red Mountain Project was launched in 1998 to preserve threatened historic landscapes and structures along the San Juan Skyway and around Red Mountain Pass. Dating back to 1874, this scenic National Register-designated mining district that covers 10,000-plus acres and has more than two million visitors each year.

After years of tireless effort on the part of the Red Mountain Task Force, in partnership with the Trust for Public Land (TPL), the Fort Lewis College Office of Community Services, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), private citizens, and the U.S. Forest Service, over 8500 acres of historic landscapes were purchased and protected; 24 historic structures inventoried and stabilized; a scenic overlook with interpretive panels installed; and miles of hiking trails constructed to provide public access to this site. Throughout the effort, one historic site captured the hearts and minds of the public. Located near the top of the pass and very visible from the highway, the Yankee Girl Mine was constructed in the early 1870s. The owner threatened to tear down the building in an effort to garner an excessive price for the property. The mill was eventually sold to a preservation-minded individual who worked with the Trust for Public Land to place a permanent conservation easement on the property that protects it from demolition, even if it changes hands.

Listed: 2000

Constructed: 1890s-1930s

Threat: Demolition by neglect; development

Closest Town to Resource: Telluride

Significance: The longest service road that climbs above Telluride includes a collection of crumbling buildings that were once the great mining town of Alta Lakes. Constructed around the turn of the 20th century and active until the 1930s, The Gold King Mine at Alta Lakes was the first mine in the world to receive AC power. This high-altitude, scenic ghost town is accessible by four-wheel drive and retains many original structures. In 1999, the U.S. Forest Service tried to purchase land and buildings. Funding fell through, ending its involvement. The owners, Leucadia Financial Corporation, originally planned to demolish the structures to construct a resort village, but the county turned the plan down due to its density. Recently, the owners have been approved to develop the 540-acre site for private residences (28 homes) A wealthy out of state property currently owns the site, and the town/county is considering if it would

Site Needs: Reestablish site contact and introduce the County to similar sites

Update: The site is privately owned. Conversations to reestablish site contact and begin discussions with the community have yet to move forward.