Standard San Juan County Historical Society U.S. Postage Paid Post Office Box 154 PAID Silverton, Colorado 81433-0154 Silverton, CO. 81433 Permit #8 An Annual Publication of the San Juan County Historical Society Summer 2006 Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado Pioneer Sub-Station Celebrates 100 years One mile north of Silverton aluminum transmission line (to the stands an imposing square brick Mayflower Mine) in 1941, and the structure that played an important suspended aerial lines up part in the development of the area’s Cunningham and other gulches that pioneer electrical system. Built in eliminated poles in avalanche prone 1906 by the Animas Power and Water areas. By the mid-1950s, automatic Company, the building served as the sub-stations replaced the older manual main sub-station and distribution technology inside the building, which point for the power generated at became vacant. In 1959 Standard Tacoma, 25 miles south of Silverton. Metals Corporation bought the office In serious disrepair when donated and sub-station buildings for their to the Society in 1996, a $375,000 headquarters and warehouse space. renovation and repair has just been In 1988 the office was moved to This 1930s photo shows the Powerhouse, the office building now completed. Known locally as the become the present Silverton Visitor’s moved and used as a visitor center, and the mule barn. “Powerhouse,” it today houses Scotty Center at the entrance to town on U.S. Bob’s custom ski manufacturing and 550. Meanwhile the Powerhouse Fisher Woodworks. building continued to deteriorate. The Animas Power and Water At the time the building and ten acre Company was organized in site was donated to the Society by Indianapolis, Indiana to serve the Sunnyside Gold in 1996, the mines of the Silverton area. Prior to Powerhouse was in bad shape. Bricks 1906, electric power at individual were disintegrating and falling off the mine sites was generated by coal walls each winter. Water was seeping fired steam plants. When snow into the walls and the metal roof decking blockaded the railroad, coal supplies was rusting through. The Powerhouse would run low, forcing the mines to Business Incubator Project was begun close. The new power plant at in 1999 to renovate the structure and Tacoma was a hydro-electric facility put it back to use to help new business generating 6,000 horse power and development in the county, whose feeding a 44,000 volt line up the economy was in tatters after the mine Animas Canyon to the Silverton Sub- closed in 1991. Grants from the U.S. Station building. Here four large Economic Development Administration, transformers dropped the voltage to Colorado Office of Economic This rare 1920s photo shows the Powerhouse interior with its gleam- 17,500 volts and sent it on to the Development and Inter-national Trade, ing equipment. mines. Such famous properties as the and the State Historic Fund were Silver Lake, Gold King, Gold Prince, matched with over $70,000 in Society Sunnyside, and Old Hundred were funds to pay for the project. Local Mayflower Mill Documented; Further served by the system. Power costs restoration contractor Klinke & Lew dropped by 50% reducing mine performed the time-consuming Restoration Grant Requests Planned operating costs and sparking a boom restoration work. in mine development. An office and Today the Powerhouse is once Thanks to members David and graphed, measured, and documented residence building was also built again helping Silverton’s newest Julie Singer, the Society was awarded every aspect of the Mill. next to the “Powerhouse” and later industry: skiing. Scotty Bob’s Skis has a $90,000 grant from the State His- The documents produced are lo- a mule barn. Mules served as the leased the main building to expand torical Fund to perform a Historic cated at the National Archives and “Jeeps” of the past, to maintain the their custom ski manufacturing American Engineering Report the San Juan County archives. We lines strung up the gulches. business. Inventor of a popular and (HAER) and a structural assessment hope that they will help us to get fur- Later the system became part of innovative backcountry ski design, of the National Historic Landmark ther grant funding to repair the Mill, the larger Western Colorado Power Scotty Bob Carlson tests new ski Mayflower Mill. and to that end we have applied for Company and tied into their lines designs along the same canyons The National Park Service funding from the Save America’s via Ophir Pass and Red Mountain where once pioneer electric power thought that this project was so im- Treasures program. Pass. In the 1930s and 1940s, lines connected back to the venerable portant that they put $26,000 into it. The Mill HAER project is featured Hammond Mathews was the local brick building. The Powerhouse’s new Last summer, six interns (two in a 12 page spread in the current is- manager and introduced such role in Silverton’s economy is a fitting sponsored by the international sue of Common Ground, a publication innovations as the county’s first community. ICOMOS program) mapped, photo- of the National Park Service. Chairman’s Report Oral History is Important Part of Archives; Dear Members: As I write today, I am listening to the sound of rain—and, boy do we Duplicate Disks Available for Purchase need it. It has been very dry and unseasonably warm—into the mid-70s. It is Nestled between the old jail San Juans, Mountain Road amazing how one good rain greens things up. The chokecherry tree at the museum and Cement Creek is the Construction and Maintenance, museum is in full bloom and smells heavenly. I am sure it is enjoying its nice Archive Building of the San Juan Railroading in the San Juans, General drink of water. County Historical Society. Within its Reflections, Silverton Homes, and Board members Zeke Zanoni, Jerry Hoffer, and Scott Fetchenhier have confines are a wealth of records which the Sunnyside and Eureka. been laboring on exhibits that interpret the fabulous mining history of the shed light on the region’s past. In The Archive has arranged to San Juans in the Mining Heritage Center. Among them are a blacksmith’s addition to newspapers and a variety of have these early accounts transcribed shop, a “machine doctor’s” shop and a tram tower display. The detail in official documents, a large volume of to CDs and in a number of cases has these exhibits give the visitor a real feel for what the mining industry really photographs and family histories duplicate CDs. These duplicates are was. Combined with the Old 100 Mine Tour and the Mayflower Gold Mill provide concrete details about local life being offered for sale for the price Tour, the Mining Heritage Center offers a world-class mining history attrac- and particular people, going back to the of $25.00 each. When the interview tion. It is completely handicapped accessible, as is the Archive. We want to early days of Silverton’s history. takes two disks, these go for $45. thank the USDA for funding half of the elevator. We still have many exhib- Among these holdings are a Purchases may be arranged by its to build so we are only partially open—the museum will not be finished substantial number of compact disks contacting the Archive of the for years, but that is how it works in a volunteer organization. containing interviews with long-time Historical Society at Box 154, Next week local non-profits will be hosting funders for Philanthropy Days residents. Several different interviewers Silverton, Colorado 81433. in Southwest Colorado. This is a program to get funders, both private founda- are represented, but most were con- This is an opportunity to hear in tions and government, out of the Denver area and into rural Colorado every ducted by historian Allen Nossaman as one’s own home or car, witnesses of four years in hopes of raising their awareness about our issues and needs. We part of an oral history project. A few of an era that otherwise can only be read are going to start at the Mining Heritage Center greeted by the famous Sil- the interviews were taken from recorded about. These indelible voices add verton Brass Band. The last time the funders visited, the Center was a big radio programs as well as other settings. reality and personality to invaluable hole in the ground and a slide show by Zeke. It will be fun to show them the A goodly number occurred decades descriptions, all the while directly progress we have made. ago and featured residents then in their linking us to our community’s past But, you know, dear members, the building that makes us our money— advanced years. Many had clear and its people. the old jail museum, has been neglected for years. Isn’t that the way it is— memories of their earlier life as well of the carpenter lets his own house fall down? However, we got a grant to do a events told to them by their parents and Historic Structure Assessment of the building and armed with that, will grandparents. While some were very apply to the State Historical Fund for funding to fix it up. I cringe every time articulate, in other cases memories were I look at the window sills when I walk in the door. Fixing up the basement not as clear and obviously some Support the Restoration will allow us to move some exhibits around and free up some retail space. In recollections were less accurate. To listen of these days of declining attendance, museum stores are becoming more and to these CDs is to experience a personal more important.