By Linda La Rocca
A few years ago, the 1895 schoolhouse in Twin Lakes was little more than a reminder of the days when this southern Lake County village, nestled in a scenic glacial valley near two sparkling, sub-alpine lakes, was the hub of a small gold-silver-lead-zinc mining district and the main stop for freight wagons and passenger stagecoaches traveling the Leadville-to-Aspen route over 12,095-foot Independence Pass.
by Faye Golson
Editor’s note: Salida resident Faye Golson describes her efforts to place the famous Matchless Mine on the National Register of Historic Places.
The letter came in the mail not as a complete surprise. Return address – Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Denver, CO. “We are pleased to announce the listing of the Matchless Mine on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. The official designation took place on December 28, 2010 …” The Matchless Mine had been a two-year project for me. This included first working as a team member on the Historic Structures Assessment to determine the condition of the buildings and structures and then preparing the National Register Nomination for the property.
Brief by Central Staff
Historic Preservation – August 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine
The old Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad depot in Buena Vista, now placed in McPhelemy Park, will be restored thanks to grants and donations from the State Historical Fund, the DSP&P Historical Society, Collegiate Peaks Bank, and the town and county.
Brief by Central Staff
Historic Preservation – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine
Buena Vistans have enjoyed indoor plumbing for many years, but even so, privies will appear on lawns there in May and June. They won’t be full-size two-holers, though; they’re purple miniatures designed to raise money for historic preservation through Buena Vista Heritage.
Article by Clint Driscoll
Historic preservation – July 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
THE POTENTIAL for destruction of historically important districts and structures exists all over Central Colorado, and emotions run deep when a proposed or real action threatens such buildings or areas. As Stella Hosmer Bailey wrote in her 1985 history, The Charisma of Chalk Creek:
Article by Allen Best
Historic preservation – July 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
FOR A LARGE PART of the 1980s and 1990s, Leadville was bickering with the Environmental Protection Agency in a dispute faintly similar to the one now involving Camp Hale.
This argument in Lake County can partly be described by the adage, “One man’s treasure is another man’s junk.” If not necessarily junk, the EPA saw the mining dumps and tailings piles scattered across the city and adjoining areas as causes of environmental degradation.
Article by Allen Best
Historic preservation – July 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
FOR THE CASUAL TRAVELER between Leadville and Vail, there’s little evidence of what was, during World War II, one of Colorado’s largest cities.
Bunkers, once used for a rifle range, sit a good distance from the highway at Camp Hale, home to the storied 10th Mountain Division. Concrete targets lie among tall grasses like toppled gravestones. At the far end are the crumbling foundations of warehouses. Amidst all this, residing incongruously at an elevation of 9,200 feet, like the bones of some mysteriously beached whale, are the columns of one remaining building.
Brief by Central Staff
Historic preservation – November 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
We’re not sure whether this is good news or bad news, but in either case, no sites in Central Colorado or the San Luis Valley appear on the 2002 list of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places, issued recently by Colorado Preservation Inc.
It might be good news because we’re good at preserving our past, or bad news because our economy is so depressed that there’s not enough construction or development to put any old structures at risk.
Article by Lillian Ross
Historic Preservation – January 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, you were a hard-working utility plant, huffing and puffing steam to generate electrical power for the town of Salida. You wore your mantle — “Salida Steam Plant” — proudly for more than 50 years.
Then you fell on hard times. For 30 years, you stood idle. The only Salida residents who paid you any attention were the town’s pigeons, taking up residence in the west wing of your Sackett Avenue address. Oh, how they had their way with you.
Article by Lynda La Rocca
Historic preservation – January 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
THE NAMES OF MEMBERS of 19th century Leadville’s Jewish community read like a “Who’s Who” list of industry giants.
Among these frontier-era movers and shakers were the Guggenheims, founders of a mining dynasty and mourners of a loved one who went down with the Titanic, and the May family, whose patriarch David became a giant in the retail sector.
Brief by Central Staff
Historic preservation – January 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
If you’ve ever had any kind of question about historic preservation, you can probably find an answer for it at the 2002 Saving Places Conference sponsored by Colorado Preservation Inc.
It runs from Jan. 31 through Feb. 2 at the Denver Athletic Club, and scheduled topics range from “Lessons Learned from Saving Historic Depots” to “Ghost Signs: Restoration or Preservation?” Or perhaps from “Truss Bridges: A vanishing species” to “Cruising for History: the gas stations, motels, and drive-in theaters [that are] an important part of America’s heritage.”
