LOGO: America's Byways PHOTOS: two photos of the historic sites IMAGE: small, round map of the area BRINGING THE PLAN TO LIFE: PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS IN COLORADO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN HAS LED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT TO PRESERVE THIRTEEN HIGHLY VISABLE, ENDANGERED HISTORIC SITES AND PROTECT THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF HISTORIC LANDSC APES ALONG THE SAN JUAN SKYWAY. BYWAY LENGTH: 236 MILES PROJECT: San Juan Skyway Historic Mining and Railroad Sites Preservation Plan BYWAY: San Juan Skyway STATE: Colorado STARTED: 1997 COMPLETED: 1998 TOTAL COST: $39,000 Colorado State Historic Fund: $27,200 Fort Lewis College: $ 5,000 National Scenic Byway Program: $6,800 PRIMARY CONTACT: Ken Francis Fort Lewis College 1000 Rim Drive Durango, CO 81301 Phone: 970-247-7310 Fax: 970-247-7032 francis_k@fortlewis.edu THE SAN JUAN SKYWAY is referred to as one of the most scenic drives in America. In addition to its stunning mountains and geology, the Skyway is an excursion through history. Ancient ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park, Victorian towns, and mining and railroad antiquities are located throughout the length of the corridor. Designated as a National Forest Service Scenic Byway in 1988, a Scenic and Historic Byway by the State of Colorado in 1989, and one of six All-American Roads by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 1996, the Skyway is recognized as one of the nation’s outstanding touring routes. What Happened In 1995, the Friends of the San Juan Skyway Association was established to guide development of a corridor management plan (CMP) for the byway. Their vision: to showcase the Skyway as the most scenic drive in America while preserving the corridor’s outstanding and diverse resources. During the process of developing the CMP, it was noted that the historic mining and railroad sites and structures along the Skyway were disappearing at an alarming rate. To address the loss of these and other important historic resources, five priority actions were outlined in the CMP including the development of a strategic plan for the preservation of visible heritage resources. While the San Juan Skyway is rich in historic structures from the mining boom in the late 19th century, these structures are now over one hundred years old, and have suffered the effects of neglect, heavy winter snows and vandalism.With mining no longer viable, these structures and adjacent properties were faced with being sold for residential and commercial development. Their restoration and the acquisition of the surrounding acreage presented a unique opportunity to preserve both the structures and their context. PHOTO: photo of one of the historic sites In 1997, Fort Lewis College in cooperation with the Skyway Association set about the task of preparing a strategic plan to preserve historic mining structures visible from the Skyway.Working with a variety of heritage resource stakeholders, several sites and structures were identified and evaluated. Selection criteria included the site’s visibility or accessibility from the Skyway, potential as a significant interpretive site and the cost of preserving the structure. Completed in 1998, the plan identified thirteen high priority historic mining, railroad sites and landscapes along the byway corridor and included historic assessments, structural plans, recommended actions and preliminary costs to preserve the most threatened of these resources. Development of the plan helped stimulate broad-based support to preserve the most important of these structures and launch an initiative to acquire ten thousand five hundred acres in and around Red Mountain Pass, the highest point of elevation on the San Juan Skyway and an element of the Skyway Preservation Plan PROJECT FEATURES: Historic preservation plan, including: • Historic assessments documenting the significance, reasons why sites should be preserved, and structural plans and budgets for carrying out preservation and stabilization work • A $39,000 plan led to preservation of thirteen highly visible, endangered historic sites along the byway, plus protection of three thousand three hundred twenty acres of historic landscapes These preservation actions have a value of over $6.0 million • Developed educational materials including brochures, video and website http://www.redmountainproject.com PARTNERS Red Mountain Task Force The Trust for Public Land Friends of the San Juan Skyway San Juan County Commissioners Ouray County Commissioners Fort Lewis College Ouray and San Juan Historical Societies Uncompahgre National Forest San Juan National Forest IMPORTANT PEOPLE Bob Risch Bev Rich Alan Staehle Tim Sutton Ann Hoffman Chris Smith Fritz Klinke Eric Love Doug Robotham Walt Rule Chris George Paul Beaber Sally Pearce Ross Curtis Marcella Mosher Ken Francis The discovery of precious metals led to the exploration and settlement of areas along the San Juan Skyway during the late 19th century. Narrow-gauge railroads played an important role during the mining era and in the history of Southwest Colorado as a whole. The water tanks, bridges, trestles, and sections of the railroad bed found along the byway manifest evidence of these defunct, narrow-gauge lines. One narrow-gauge railroad, the Durango & Silverton, continues to operate as a tourist line. It is one of Southwest Colorado’s major attractions and carries over two hundred thousand passengers a year. The Red Mountain Project is an initiative to purchase and protect ten thousand five hundred acres of private land in the heart of the San Juan Mountains. The Project advocates public acquisition of properties located near or around Red Mountain Pass in Southwest Colorado to preserve the scenic beauty of the region, protect valuable historic and archeological treasures and ensure public access. These lands are located between the mountain towns of Ouray, Silverton, and Telluride. To protect this acreage from potential subdivision and commercial development, the Red Mountain Task Force and the Trust for Public Land have raised $5.4 million to acquire these vulnerable lands. Once purchased, this acreage will be added to the Umcompahgre and San Juan National Forests. Brochures, posters, a video and a web site (www.redmountainproject. com) have been developed as communication materials to help promote this multi-year fund raising initiative. Partners The historic and landscape preservation work we have been able to accomplish is the result of good work on the part of many people. I truly feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with these people — representing the Forest Service, local county commissioners, local and state level historic preservation organizations and The Trust for Public Land. — Ken Francis, Fort Lewis College The sites identified in the historic preservation plan were identified by the byway’s local communities, who together comprise the regional San Juan Skyway partnership. These communities along with other Skyway interests then worked to secure the necessary cooperation and funding to acquire conservation easements, perform structural improvements to preserve the structures, and acquire historic and scenic landscapes. The geographic diversity and breadth of the projects fostered strong relationships between the region’s local historical organizations, county governments, and the Colorado Historical Society (a key funding agency for helping implement portions of the Skyway Preservation Plan). Additional interest in and support for the project was generated when Colorado Preservation Inc., a statewide preservation advocacy group, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the Red Mountain Project on their most endangered lists. Inclusion in these lists raised the profile of the project both locally and nationally and enhanced fund raising efforts. The project also attracted the attention and commitment of The Trust for Public Land to become a partner and lead the historic landscape acquisition part of the preservation plan in concert with the Red Mountain Project Task Force. PHOTOS: four photos of the historic sites Project Benefits Progress to date includes: • The completion of construction stabilization on seven historic structures, and securing conservation easements on three other sites at a cost of $152,000; • Raising $610,000 for the construction of a scenic overlook that interprets the Red Mountain geology, history and scenic beauty; • Raising $5,354,000 for the acquisition of three thousand three hundred and twenty acres of historic landscapes on Red Mountain Pass. A well crafted, $39,000 investment has resulted in preservation actions with a value of over $6.0 million, a true testament to the power of partnerships. In addition to preserving an important link to Colorado’s past, the project will secure public access to these lands and surrounding resources for generations to come. It is also anticipated that use of some of these historic structures for interpretive facilities will increase tourism and generate additional marketing and revenue generation opportunities for the surrounding communities. Considerations CHOOSE YOUR PARTNERS CAREFULLY. Recruit partners to your team that are truly committed to contribute and add real value to your effort. Projects of this magnitude require a lot of hard work and determination. RESEARCH THE OPTIONS. Funding for byway related projects is much greater than most byway organizations think. DETAIL GUIDES ACTIONS. Specificity of intent and action is important. To be useful, the historic preservation plan had to provide the detail required to achieve the goals identified in the CMP. The plan includes historic assessments documenting the significance and reasons why sites should be preserved and structural plans and budgets for carrying out the preservation and stabilization work. A well-conceived plan that has both local and regional support can become a very effective tool for harnessing the resources of multiple partners.