In the late 1800s, some 3,000 people lived and worked
in the Red Mountain Mining District near the top of Red Mountain
Pass between Silverton and Ouray. Just about every acre was
clear-cut, built upon or mined. Today, the miners are gone and
aspen trees and tundra plants have reclaimed most of the area. The
only visible remnants are a handful of ghostly houses and abandoned
mine structures, the faint line of a railroad bed, and dozens of
mining dumps.
But another potent legacy of the past
lingers as well: Thousands of acres of private land –
patented mining claims — that are vulnerable to development. But
instead of becoming second-home sites, 9,000 acres, much of the old
mining district, have been transferred to public ownership over the
past nine years, saving them from the residential construction that
has overrun hillsides in other mountain communities across the
West.
“Every one of these parcels could have been
developed,” said Rick Cable, Rocky Mountain regional
forester, at a recent gathering celebrating the completion of the
land-acquisition project. “But they will be conserved in
perpetuity.”
The Red Mountain Project began in 1998
when a group of volunteers from nearby Ouray and Silverton met to
find a way to preserve the historic remnants and scenic landscape
near the top of Red Mountain Pass. They brought in local county
governments, historical societies, federal agencies, the Trust for
Public Land and the Fort Lewis College Office of Community Services
to help out. And, with such a broad and diverse base of support,
the group was able to acquire $14 million, mostly from the federal
Land and Water Conservation Fund, to purchase the properties.
Digging up all that money wasn’t the only challenge: The
group also had to sort out the tangled ownership of hundreds of
mining claims, some of which had been passed down from generation
to generation and were owned by dozens of different parties. Then
it had to convince the owners to sell.
Initially, the
group hoped to acquire 10,500 acres. Now, the remaining 1,500
acres, still in private hands, are even more valuable than before
because they are on the edge of or surrounded by public land. But
that didn’t dampen the ebullient mood at the Aug. 18
gathering, held next to the newly public Crystal Lake, where the
glassy water held reflections of deep orange mountainsides.
“It’s such a rare place, and so incredibly
fragile,” said Mark Wolfe of the Colorado State Historic
Fund. “It isn’t going to survive on its own.”
Click to view a complete photogallery of lands preserved by the Red Mountain Project.
More on the Red Mountain Project
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