San Juan County Historical SocietyPost Office Box 154Silverton, Colorado 81433-0154

An Annual Publication of the San Juan County Historical Society

Summer 2014 Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado

Postage paidat

Silverton, Colo.USPS #496-880

by Stephen F. RichIn the fall of 2013, ground was broken

for a much needed addition to the MiningHeritage Center. With funds from donationstotaling nearly $70,000, we began theexcavation in August. The new addition iscomprised of a full basement and two floorsand is approximately 2,500 sq. ft. that matchthe existing floors levels. Throughout theproject, local Silverton contractors werehired. Plans for the addition were drawn byarchitect, Dan Hoyle of Silverton.

We hired local contractor Pete Maiselfor the excavation work. The foundationrequired a specialized system of“underpinning” to support the existing rampused to move heavy mining equipment inand out of the Museum. The concrete workwas performed by Speedy’s Concrete fromOuray. Engineering work was reviewed andapproved by Mark Mackie of Silverton.

Jim Weller Construction, of Silvertonbegan framing in late October. Prior toconstructing the first floor, the roof and theadjoining wall of the existing ramp had tobe removed and the lumber salvaged. Boardmember, Scott Fetchenhier did much of thematerial salvage. Framing moved aheadquickly on the first floor, while the wallsections and gable ends were framed andsheathed on the ground. The entire secondfloor was up and set in three and a halfhours! The owner/operator of the craneused was Society board member Bill Alsupof Silverton. The roof was next and withineight weeks our building was “in the dry”.

Most materials and hardware werepurchased from ZE Supply of Silverton.Insulat ion was insta lled by La PlataInsulation of Mancos, sheetrock wasinstalled and finished for painting byDurango Drywall, priming and paintingwas done by Cody Bradford and NickHouston of Silverton.

Electrical work was mounted on thesurface, in conduit, by JEM Electric ofOlathe and the overhead garage door waspurchased from and installed by MontroseGarage Door. Plumbing the hydronic heatfor the basement floor was performed byanother Society board member, DavidZanoni of Silverton. Custom milled 1 x12 rough sawn spruce siding was made byMike Barney of Silverton, while museumstaff worked on numerous phases of theproject.

The new spaces in the Museum willprovide us with a larger and more efficientexhibit shop and much needed storage areason the main floor. The basement will houseadditional mining exhibits and storage.There are several areas that were previously

New Construction ExpandsMining Heritage Center

used as storage, which will now becomeexhibit space.

The top floor, affectionately knownas “The Great Room”, will contain anexhibit gallery for historic Silvertonphotographs gleaned from our Archives.It may double as a changing exhibit area.The space will also serve as a meeting areafor presentations and various programs.In addition, it will house a small office/work area, a “clean room” to preserve andrestore ar tifacts, mount and framephotographs, and produce exhibitinterpretive panels and labels. A hay loftdoor with a chain hoist will allow us tomove large heavy and bulky items.

This spring, Jim Weller and his creware installing the roof tin and siding tocomplete his contract. When finished andstained, the new addition will be an exactmatch to the existing building. The staffhas been busy reorganizing andconstructing several new exhibits, as wellas building new work benches and shelvesand moving the shop to the new space.

This project was a great economicbenefit to Silverton as it bought materialslocally and provided jobs throughout thewinter for nearly twenty craftsmen andtrade professionals.

As this important addition to theMuseum has incurred some debt, the SanJuan County Historical Society is seekingtax deductable donations to help offsetthis debt. Contact Scott Fetchenhier orBev Rich in this regard.(See page 3 for a photograph of the new work.)

Ever wonder what it would havebeen like to live in an old mine boardinghouse in the mountains around Silverton?On Saturday June 21, Karen and MarkVendl, co-authors with Duane Smith of“My Home at Present”, will be giving apresentation on mine boarding houses atSilverton Town Hall at 7:00 p.m.

The presentation will tell the storyof the miner’s daily life living in a mineboarding house. In spite of ever-presentdangers like deadly avalanches, it alsocould also be a good life in which foodwas very edible as well as plentiful, librariesand poolrooms provided recreation, andthe miners spent hours telling stories andplaying cards.

Newspaper and first-hand accounts,and historical photographs will provide afascinating look into the life of miners inthe San Juans.Please join us for anentertaining evening.

Set Aside June 21 for An Eveningof San Juan Mining History

The San Juan County Historical Societyin partnership with the Durango RailroadHistorical Society is seeking a grant ofapproximately $22,500 from The ColoradoState Historical Fund to reconstruct andrehabilitate the Oil Shed at the northeastcorner of the Silverton Northern EngineHouse in Silverton. The total budget forthe project is approximately $30,000.Twenty-five percent of the total funds needto be raised by the two societies.

The shed is 99% in the Cement Streetright of way between 8th and 9th Streets,a section that was never groomed as astreet.On March 10, this project waspresented to the Silverton Town Councilwhere it won unanimous approval. TheMayor has prepared a letter of support forthe project and will sign the grant request.

When the San Juan County HistoricalSociety acquired the Engine House Site in1977, the Oil Shed roof, southwest walland part of the southeast wall had alreadycollapsed. The ruins of the Oil Shedremained mostly stable with the floor andjumble of wood structural members slowly

deteriorating for the next 33 years. A studyof the available photographs indicated thatthe Oil Shed is important to the historicalcontext of the area. The ambiance ofhistoric railroad sites comes from openstorage piles of track materials, heavy railcar parts, and various small buildings andsheds where smaller lighter items werestored. The reconstruction of this shed, anecessary accessory to the engine house,will greatly contribute to this site.

This project is to reconstruct the remainsof the 14 x 30 foot shed to its appearancefrom 1912 through 1942 and to rehabilitatethe interior. The shed will be used as anoffice, library, conference room, and breakroom for personnel performing restorationand maintenance in the adjacent EngineHouse.

This project is a small step toward thevision of creating a Silverton HistoricRailroad Park in a corridor between theengine house and the Durango & SilvertonNarrow Gauge Railroad Depot (formerlythe Denver and Rio Grande WesternDepot).

Railroad Oil Shed is New RestorationProject for Engine House Development

Although the old oil shed does not look too promising in this view, it willbecome an important part of the Engine House restoration project and theadjacent Silverton Railroad Historic Park.

Join Hillside Clean-up Day in JuneThe twenty-first annual Silverton

Hillside Cemetery volunteer work day willbe on Saturday, June 21, 2014 .from 10:00a.m. until noon.. This is your chance to helpthe town of Silverton maintain, restore, andpreserve its wonderful heritage.

Suggested tools to bring: limb loppers,hand-held clippers, shovels, rakes andpruning saws.

Following the work session, bring a sacklunch to eat and share in the anecdotes ofearly pioneers buried in Hillside Cemetery.

If you are unable to attend but wouldlike to make a tax-deductible donation to theSilverton Hillside Cemetery, send yourcontributions to: Hillside Cemetery Fund, SanJuan County Historical Society, P.O. Box 154,Silverton, Colorado 81433

Chairman’s Report

Now’s the time to help the Society: Join Today!San Juan County Historical Society • Post Office Box 154

Silverton, Colorado 81433I wish to enroll as a member of the San Juan County Historical Society in the

class designated below for the calendar year 2014. I understand that this membershipentitles me (and my spouse, if applicable) to a vote at the annual meeting in October,2014.

1. Member—$25 per year, entitling an individual to one vote inmeetings of the general membership, discounts on books, and free museumadmission.

2. Family membership—$50 per year entitling each couple toone vote each in meetings of the general membership, discounts on books, andfree museum admission.

3. Society Patron—$100 per year, entitling an individual orcouple to voting privileges, a museum pass for the season, discounts on books,and a listing in the Society’s publications.

4. Life Member—$1000, entitling an individual or couple to allof the above privileges for life.

Name: ____________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________

_________________________________________________

George Chapman, Editor

Published annually by the San Juan County Historical Society, a non-profitColorado corporation, for its members and all persons interested in the

preservation of the history of San Juan County, Colorado.San Juan County Historical Society

Officers and Directors, 2014Beverly Rich, Chairman; Scott Fetchenhier, Secretary/Treasurer; Jerry Hoffer,George Darnall Zanoni, David Zanoni, Patty Dailey, Stephen Rich, and Bill Alsup,Directors

Dear Members:It is hard to imagine, but here we are, celebrating our 50 th year. To any and all of

you who have volunteered, served on the Board of Directors, and who just plainsupported us, we give a big THANKS! And, I was there—my mother drug me out tohelp clean the jail—I was just 13, and things historical did not excite me. It was quite aninitiation—getting to clean an old building that had been vacant except for mice andchipmunks for 30 years. And, do you know, I have been cleaning it ever since! As I lookback at my 50 plus years of involvement, we have done some amazing things. We wentfrom being in the jail that had no electricity and a little pot belly stove for heat to a newlyrestored building, inside and out. In a leap of faith, we built the Mining Heritage Center,and in another leap of faith, the new addition that is being finished as I write. It is trulyone of the best mining museums in the country and it gets better every year.

We saved the depot after it was bombed in 1975, using money from a sympatheticinsurance adjuster and bake sales. Eventually, we sold it to the Durango & SilvertonRailroad for “adaptive reuse” as a ticket office! We went from buying the SilvertonNorthern engine house to relaying the track and hooking up to the main line. We wentfrom the scheduled demolition and reclamation of the Mayflower Mill to being a NationalHistoric Landmark, one of only 20 in the State and one that uses hydro-electric power!We went from having the Old Hundred Boarding House almost fall off a cliff to havinga whale of an adventure putting it back together using helicopters. We started workingat Animas Forks over 30 years ago, and you won’t believe your eyes when you visit therenext. We went from having our archive in the library’s basement to having a state-of-the-art archive building, complete with two new computers and three scanners.We havea new website and are looking at new software for cataloging. We saved the oldestnewspaper on the Western Slope and became a “Historic Site in Journalism”. We had afive year plan that ended up taking twelve because we kept getting sidetracked by suchevents as the Town Hall fire and little things like building a business park. We advocatefor Hillside Cemetery and hold a workday every year, and thanks to Freda Peterson,have one of the finest documented cemeteries in the country. And now, we are embarkingon building a railroad!! Seriously! Sometimes I shake my head—how the heck did weget to this place? We have won numerous awards, including two National Honor Awardsfrom the National Trust and the latest from the Mining History Association. And, as Ipoint out every chance I get, we DO NOT get any public funding—we raise it allourselves. We have been the economic engine of San Juan County since the mine shutdown—who says preservation does not pay.

And through the years, look at the talent—Freda Peterson, Allen Nossaman, ZekeZanoni, Fritz Klinke, George Chapman and so many more. What an honor it is to haveworked with these folks. Their vision and tenacity and just plain getting it done is anincredible testament and an incredible legacy. One of my favorite sayings is “I use notonly the brains I have, but all that I can borrow” (Woodrow Wilson). And I truly do…Icould not get along without these “brains”. People think that museums just happen,but I can tell you, dear members, it takes a lot of work. From draining the pipes at thejail for the winter, to planting our pansies in the spring—it all takes work. And you,dear members, help us the most with your contributions and your support.

So join us for our celebration on September 19 at 5:00 at the museum. We willhave the famous Silverton Brass Band, speeches, cake, and we might even break opensome champaign. Here’s to the next 50!!

It’s been five years since the San JuanCounty Historical Society acquired theSilverton Standard & the Miner newspaper,the oldest business in town. In 2009, in themidst of the Great Recession that sawnewspapers throughout the country facingunprecedented hardship, things were notlooking good for the Standard.

The paper came to the historical societyas a donation from Randy Miller, owner ofThirteenth Street Media Inc. of Boulder.Miller had purchased the Standard as part ofa package that included the Norwood Postand the Telluride Daily Planet in July of 2008.Had he not donated the paper, lack of a buyerwould have probably led to a shutdown ofthe historic publication.

The historical society inherited anewspaper that was not exactly makingmoney. And it didn’t even have a businessoffice in Silverton anymore. A bank accountwas opened with the historical society puttingin $10,000. We recruited Gina Rosato tohandle advertising and business matters. Shegot the business office up and running.

Five years later the newspaper is stillholding its own. Editor and Publisher MarkEsper has now operated the newspaper forseven years.

Originally from Flint, Michigan., he hasworked at weekly and daily newspapers inMichigan, Colorado, Montana and NewMexico.

Over the years he’s done some reporting

on just about every conceivable topic – fromcorruption in the Navajo Nation governmentto tracking down survivors of a massacre ina remote area of El Salvador. He has been to53 countries, reporting from NorthernIreland, the former Yugoslavia, CentralAmerica, Cuba and the Middle East and he’salso been to all 50 U.S. states.

“I’ve been detained by Interior Ministryofficials in Serbia, was interviewed on ABC’s‘Good Morning America’ from Havana andsomehow made it out of Morazan Province(El Salvador) alive,” Esper said. In 2003, onthe eve of the Iraq War, Esper took anoverland trip from Beirut, Lebanon toDamascus, Syria, then on to Jordan, the WestBank and Israel. “I was kind of inspired byThomas Friedman’s book, ‘From Beirut toJerusalem.’ It was an amazing journey.”

The experience left him well preparedto handle duties at the Silverton Standard.“It was good training for Silverton,” he said.“Plus I’ve done a couple of grizzly-maulingstories in Montana, so I was well-preparedto cover the Town Council here.”

In 2009 Esper was a finalist in theWashington Post’s Next Great AmericanPundit contest, finishing in eighth placeamong more than 5,000 entrants and he haswon dozens of Colorado Press Associationawards for the Standard.

“Silverton’s a great place to write about— especially for someone who loves history,”Esper said.

Mark Esper Continues to LeadSociety’s Historic Newspaper

Keep Up-to-Date on SilvertonSubscribe to The Silverton Standard and the Miner

Electronic version only $26.00 a year with no mail delays!Send a check to P.O. Box 8, Silverton, Colorado 81433

or email: editor@silvertonstandard.com

by Casey Carroll, Director of the AllenNossaman Memorial Archive and by Ray Dileo,Assistant Director

A lot of interesting things have beenhappening in the Allen Nossaman MemorialArchive. Over the last year, Director CaseyCarroll and her assistant Ray Dileo havehelped several authors find documents andimages for book projects. They helped toprovide images for the new book, My Homeat Present by Mark and Karen Vendl andDuane Smith. They found interesting imagesand documents for Janet Jewell’s new book,Returned From Oblivion, the Story of JacobSchueler. Schueler was a relative of the FrenchBoys who owned the King Solomon Minein San Juan County.

Bev Rich and Carroll just completedworking with Beth Green from the SmallDurango Press to produce a new book titled,Walking Silverton, for which the archiveprovided many images.

Upcoming book projects they arehelping with include: assisting Mark andKaren Vendl in finding material for theirnew book, Mines Around Silverton. TheVendls are graciously donating the proceedsof this book to the Society. It doesn’t getany better than that! Also, Kim Davy Eisner(Life Member) is writing a book aboutHowardsville where she has been a summerresident since the 1950s.

The Archive has been able to help JohnSites who is working with the Town ofSilverton renovate the Visitors Center bylocating images of the building back when

it was at the Power House. Ray suppliedDr. Bob Brokering with pictures of theold town site of Eureka and the SunnysideMill to display in the store at the EurekaCampground.

There have been two paranormalgroups in town that have visited theArchive.

Large panorama images (three tofour feet wide), photographed by John V.Lorenzon in the early 1900s were scannedand printed and will be for sale this yearin the Mining Heritage Center Gift Shopor at the Archive.

Many people drop by to see if theArchive has any information about theirancestors. Frequently they are able to findphotographs and/or obituaries (formerarchivist Freda Peterson’s HillsideCemetery books are a great help) of theirancestors who once lived in Silverton.

This summer, Carroll and Dileo havebegun scanning, digitizing and catalogingphotos, documents and artifacts wherePeterson left off. This is a monumentaltask, but with the help of Society LifeMember Harry McGavran, they willcontinue the work of building the ongoingdigital database.

There are fees for most services atthe Archive, as it is not supported by anyother means. Initial inquiries may be madeby phone to (970) 387-5609.

The Archive hopes to be open atleast two days per week soon, for one dayis certainly not enough.

Nossaman Archive Proves ValuableSource of Material to Authors, Others

The extent of the new addition to the Mining Heritage Museum is obvious in this mid-winter view from Memorial(formerly Lions) Park. To the immediate left is the Jail Museum and to the left of that, the Allen Nossaman Archive.

Silverton Railroad Historical ParkDevelopment Plans are Detailed

by George NiederauerA year ago we presented the concept

for a Silverton Railroad Historic Park as ajoint endeavor by the Durango RailroadHistorical Society and the San Juan CountyHistorical Society. This year the twoorganizations are initiating three newprojects to help bring the concept tofruition.

To display and protect up to a dozenrail cars, the concept calls for a double trackunder a pavilion with a raised platformbetween the tracks. Each display track willbe about 210 feet long to accommodate sixrail cars. The platform will be about ten feetwide. The pavilion covering all this will beabout 200 feet long and 36 feet wide. Thatwill allow footpaths at ground level alongthe two tracks.

The tracks, platform and pavilion area project of the Durango group. We planto have drawings and estimates put togetherand submit proposals for grants thissummer.

The large project could not happenwithout the support of the Durango &Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, for it willbe located on their land between the thedepot and the engine house. In late March2014, the two societies signed an easementagreement for the track and pavilion.

The Town of Silverton is also apartner, because some of the track will beon the Cement Street right of way, and theTown Council approved this project earlierthis year.Yet another partner is theGalloping Goose Historical Society ofDolores, which has agreed to permanentlyloan the necessary quantity of rails, just asthey did for the Silverton Northern trackalready laid. Durango Railroad HistoricalSociety will need to purchase turnouts, tieplates, joint bars, track bolts and nuts, tieplates, and ties.

Besides restoring locomotiveD&RGW 315, a long-standing objective ofthe Durango Railroad Historical Society hasbeen to restore a series of freight cars, andperhaps some work cars. They have restoreda drop bottom and a high side gondola.

Commitments have been made to acquireand restore the following: flat car, boxcar,single and double deck stock cars—allD&RGW. Last year they committed toreconstructing a pre-WWI tank car on awood frame. Also on the list are a short(30-ft) refrigerator car, and a shortcaboose.

Second in priority were work cars,some of which are also known asmaintenance-of-way and outfit cars. A fewcame on the market last winter, soDurango Railroad Historical Society madea commitment to purchase and restore

three: outfit tool car, outfit bunk car, andflanger.

Over the next several years, with thehelp of many committed volunteers andcontracted professional help, it is hopedthat the pavilion will be constructed andfilled with cars and interpretive material.

Of course funding is a majorconsideration and it is being sought fromfoundations, corporations and businesses,and individuals. Persons interesting inhelping through donations or suggestionsfor sources of funding are asked to contactofficials of either society.

by David SingerVisitors exploring the hardrock

mining heritage sites in the high countryof the San Juans this summer will able toparticipate in the celebration of decadesof preservation efforts at Animas Forks.

E. B. Greenleaf and Henry Wood built thefirst cabins at Animas Forks in 1874, andwould be proud to know that so muchenergy and passion has gone intopreserving the site.

Many people have played critical roles

in the townsite’s preservation, creating yetanother layer to its history. My wife, JulieColeman, an archaeologist by trade, withdegrees in History, Geology, andAnthropology, grew up around mining inGunnison, moved to this side of themountains to survey and documentmining heritage sites around Silverton asa seasonal employee of the BLM in 1991.She worked on developing the BLMManagement Plan for the San Juan Countyside of the then new Alpine Loop ScenicByway. In 1992, Julie was drafted to workin the BLM’s Gunnison Field Office,preparing the same type of long-rangeManagement Plan for the heritageresources on the Lake City side of theAlpine Loop. Fourteen years later, Julierelocated her duty station to the San JuanField office, and was put in charge of theimplementation of the same ManagementPlan she helped design.

This year we are celebrating the 25thAnniversary of the dedication of theAlpine Loop Scenic Byway. After the workdone last year in the stabalization of fiveAnimas Forks buildings, we have now beenfunded from the State Historical Fund tocomplete the final four structures,including the jail, the oldest building onthe site.. Julie had established an AssistanceAgreement with the Mountain StudiesInstitute (MSI), with these types ofstabilization and preservation projects onthe Alpine Loop in mind. Bruce Bourcy,the BLM archaeologist who is nowoverseeing the project, collaborated on agrant request that was successfullysubmitted to History Colorado for$115,000 on behalf MSI. Bourcy andMarcie Bidwell, the Executive Director ofMSI, dedicated an additional $30,000 ascash match from funds that were allocatedthrough the Assistance Agreement for thisfinal phase of work at the site, bringingthe total for the project to approximately$145,000. MSI is a non-profit research andeducation organization and high-altitudefield station based in Silverton.

Work this summer will focus onraising the buildings to plumb, improvingsite drainage, installation of masonry piersand footings, replacement of missingstructural f loor diaphragms, andimproving safety and access to each of thestructures. Missing windows and doors willbe replaced to help seal the buildingenvelopes from massive accumulations ofsnow and driving rain. All four of thebuildings will have improvements made tocomponents of their roof structures, andnew sheathing will be installed, includingthe restoration of the original cedarshingles.

Silverton Restoration Consulting hasdeveloped the drawings and specificationfor the construction documents, inpartnership with Reynolds and Associates,and will be managing the restorationproject over the course of the summer.Loren Lew, the master craftsman who ranthe construction crew during the initialphase of the project will be continuing hiswork in phase two.

You are invited to tour the site duringconstruction, but please respect thecontractor during your visit, and keep clearwhere work is on-going. Bring yourcameras, a decent map, and plenty ofwater. Stay safe, be a good steward, andenjoy the mining heritage that we all findso irresistible to explore. Besides thebreathtaking scenery, wildlife, and theoccasional hailstorm with a climacticrainbow, you’re bound to discover the loreof hardrock mining in the San Juans!

David Singer is the Principle Investigatorfor Silverton Restoration Consulting. Singer hasdonated his time to prepare the grant applicationsfor this project and several others in San JuanCounty.

Alpine Loop Celebrates 25 Years;Further Animas Forks Work Planned

This post-1890 building in Animas Forks is at the confluence of the eastand west forks of the Animas River and is one of the buildings involved inthe upcoming project.

by David SingerTwo grants were recently awarded to

San Juan County for the restoration of theMiner’s Union Hospital building onSnowden Street, including $200,000 fromthe State Historical Fund, and a grant fromthe Department of Local Affairs, in theamount of $150,000. San Juan Countydedicated $20,000 from its Mill Levy fundthat was established for the renovations ofthe Courthouse. Working in partnershipwith Willy Tookey, and Lois MacKenzieand Terri Brokering at the County Nurse’soffice, we were able to take that small seedmoney and embark on a long awaitedpreservation project that will benefit thehealth and welfare of the citizens andvisitors to Silverton and San Juan Countyfor decades to come.

The National Park Service designatedthe Town of Silverton a National HistoricLandmark in 1962. That original Landmarkdesignation identified the Miner’s UnionHospital as a significant “ContributingStructure” because of its architecturalmerit, but also because it was designed byF. E. Edbrooke, who has been calledColorado’s greatest Nineteenth-centuryarchitect. Edbrooke moved to Denver in

Silverton Northern right-of-way runs in front of the Contention Mill in this early photo.

by Fritz KlinkeThe rebirth of the Silverton Northern

Railroad is gaining headway under thedirection of Fritz Klinke, who heads up theSilverton Northern committee. Thehistorical society secured a 99-year leasefrom San Juan County for the abandonedright-of-way alongside the Animas Riverbetween the Powerhouse Industrial Parkand Howardsville. This 2.5 mile stretch ofroad way is through the most scenic partof the line, passing by the sites ofWaldheim, Silver Lake Mill, Wilfley-MearsMill, Iowa-Tiger tram house and theContention mill site.

The main impetus of this project is foreconomic development as well as for historicinterpretation of the three Mears’ narrowgauge railroads that ran from Silverton.Embraced in the San Juan County MasterPlan, Heritage Tourism includes all of thevarious museum projects of the society andthe rebuilt Silverton Northern is part of thatplan adopted several years ago.

A group of about ten local residentshas been meeting on a regular basis sincethe first of the year. This group hasadopted a logo for the railroad as nohistoric logos were found. Fund raising isa major effort and various items useful forfund raising, such as hats, patches, mugsand the other typical gift shop items havebeen developed.

A crowd funding project will beannounced shortly as a means to raisemoney to put down a demonstration pieceof track that will be incorporated in thefinal project. The funding effort will featurea means for individuals and families topurchase a tie that will be used in theconstruction.

The first several hundred feet oftrack will be built early this summer on newgrading on society owned land next to thePowerhouse site. As funds becomeavailable, more track will be laid and theother facilities needed for the operation ofthe railroad will be built. The other parts

needed for laying track include spikes, tieplates, rail joiners, and ties.

The Society has some rolling stockthat can run on the rebuilt SilvertonNorthern, including the Casey Jones motorcar, and as funding allows, other equipmentwill be secured.

This Silverton Northern rebuildingproject is not physically connected with thetrack at the Silverton Northern engine houseand is a separate and distinct project that willbe an operating railroad as compared to thedisplay activities at the engine house.

A new website has been developed,www.silvertonnorthern.com, that includeshistoric photos, history of the railroad, andfund raising information for individuals tocontribute to this project. Any support thatcan be given to the Silverton Northern willbe greatly appreciated. The appeal of seeingtrains operating once again alongside theAnimas River is an exciting prospect andone in which we hope you will want toparticipate.

Work Continues on Restoration of Silverton Northern Right-of-Way

Grants will assist Restoration and Conservationof County’s Miner’s Union Hospital Building

the 1870s to design the Tabor block andTabor Opera House. In 1889 hisarchitectural firm received the commissionto design the Colorado State Capitol, theconstruction of which was overseen byfamed Silvertonian, Otto Mears. Edbrookewas also the architect of Denver’s MasonicTemple, the Brown Palace Hotel, and theCentral Presbyterian Church. Edbrooke’sdesign of the Miner’s Union Hospital canbe typed as Turn-of-the-CenturyRenaissance, or Italianate. Edbrookecreated a statement of Silverton’sprosperity with his design of the hospital,exemplifying the strength and influence ofthe union in this remote mining town.

The Silverton Miners Union, Local#26 was formed in 1894 by the WesternFederation of Mine, Mill and SmelterWorkers, shortly after the Silver Panic of1893, to counter the lowering of wages andthe increasing of hours by mine owners.In 1907 the mining industry had stabilizedand San Juan County was producingmillions of dollars of gold and silver. TheUnion was at its peak membership whenthe Miner’s Union built the hospital. Thebasement was designed to have privaterooms for the doctor and rooms for the

laundry and boiler. The first floor andsecond floors housed the wards, privaterooms, the doctor’s offices, and on the thirdfloor, a state-of-the-art operating room.Today, the operating room still retains itslarge solarium windows, and the building’soriginal layout and features remainessentially intact, after years of serving thecommunity. Almost every miner inSilverton was a union man, and charitableevents involving local families werefrequent, including fund-raising for thehospital’s construction and equipment.

Today, the building is owned andoperated by San Juan County, and stillretains its status as the community’s onlyhealth care facility, 107 years since itsconstruction, housing the offices of theCounty nurse and rooms to see patientsby visiting doctors, nurses, and health careprofessionals. This type of facility is criticalto the 600 residents that call San JuanCounty home. The building is also hometo the County’s Office of EmergencyManagement and provides office space toa visiting psychologist. The Miner’s UnionHospital has become the home for severalnon-profit groups including the MountainStudies Institute, the County Food Bank,

and the Silverton Standard and MinerNewspaper. The office of SilvertonRestoration Consulting is located on thethird floor as well.

Preservation of the building began in1995. The roof of the hospital wasreplaced, and repairs to the building’s twoentries were completed with a grant fromthe State Historical Fund.

In recent years, the County has beeninvesting in the health care operations atthe nursing office with new equipment andexpanded operations. The County’s goal isto have the facility officially designated asa Satellite Clinic to an established MedicalCenter, such as Mercy Regional. This statuswill attract mid-level providers includingNurse Practitioners and PhysicianAssistants, and possibly open up additionalfunding specifically allocated for ruralhealth care through participating State andFederal agencies. Lois MacKenzie, San JuanCounty’s acting nurse, has established aworking relationship with Mercy RegionalMedical Center, and we are currently in anevaluation period for the Miner’s UnionHospital to achieve that Satellite Clinicstatus as a result of her efforts. MacKenzieactually lived in the hospital as a child, whenher father Ralph served as the countydoctor from 1959 to 1962.

A prerequisite for the satellite statusis bringing the building into compliancewith required handicap accessibility criteria.The County’s intent to “adaptively reuse”and preserve the building includes theinstallation of an elevator. This will beinstalled off the alley and the elevator shaftcustom-fitted through a stacked closetspace. The existing restrooms will also bereconfigured to achieve compliance in thisfirst phase of work. The rehabilitation ofthe building will follow the guidelines ofthe Secretary of the Interior’s Standardsfor Treatment of Historic Buildings, andimprove the efficiency of the buildingthrough the restoration of windows anddoors in the initial phase. All exterior woodcomponents will be rehabilitated andcritical repairs made to the brick masonryand window sills and headers during thisphase. Phase one will also include asbestosabatement and a professional assessmentof the coal-fired boiler. Finally, a full setof construction documents will bedeveloped. The documents will includedetailed drawings and specificationsoutlining work to be completed in asubsequent or Second Phase ofconstruction, which will focus on therestoration of the interior of the building,including repairs to delaminating plaster,decorative wood finishes and trim,upgrades to lighting fixtures, data access,heating and ventilating systems, and firedetection.

The San Juan County Commissionershave been endorsing historic preservationfor over 20 years, working in partnershipwith Colorado’s State Historic Fund onnumerous successful preservation planningand implementation projects. San JuanCounty has invested in the economicbenefits of historic preservation throughheritage tourism as both the life blood ofour economy, and out of a community-wide sense of honor for those individualswho arrived in the 1880s and built such acommunity in this remote and challengingmountain location.The Miner’s UnionHospital is the most community orientedbuilding I’ve had the honor of working onin many years. Letters of support for thegrant request on this project arrived at myoffice unsolicited, which has neverhappened.

A building that started its life as a giftfrom the Silverton Miner’s Union membersand their families, continues to serve thecommunity to this day as a model forcharity, public spirit, and socialresponsibility.