2021-10-29_PERMIT FILE - M2021064 (6)

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M-5. HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCE EVALUATION SUMMARY: There are no identified or known significant historic or cultural resources which will be impacted by mining on the site. There are no structures of historic significance on the site which will be affected by mining. There are no known prehistoric or paleontological sites on the property. There are no known sites of religious or cultural significance on the site. DISCUSSION: No prehistoric sites, historic sites, cultural resources, or burial sites have been identified in the permit area, at this time. While there are likely artifacts present on site, due to intermittent occupation and travel through the area,there are no evidences of significant prehistoric use of the site. The only known historical use of the permit area falls into three areas: 1. The south summit of Oakbrush Hill was used in the late 1960s and 1970s for a water tank supplying water to the Job Corps Camp, later USFS Work Center, located to the Northwest(off-site).The tank was removed sometime in the 1980s or 1990s, although piping and a foundation or pad may have been abandoned on-site. 2. Portions of the eastern slope of Oakbrush Hill were mined by the USFS to provide roadbase materials; operated by the USFS or contractors. The sites were reclaimed and no known structures were erected on the site. 3. Presumably, during USFS and private ownership of the permit area, livestock (horses, cattle, perhaps sheep)were grazed on the site. Personnel have received and will continue to receive training on procedures in case of discovery of archeological or paleontological resources to protect such finds, even though they are not expected. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AREA: Although the site is outside the boundaries of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, that reservation at one time did include this site. The Ute occupied the Pagosa Springs area for at least 600 years, and probably earlier than 1400. Dineh (Navajo), Numu (Comanche), and Inde (Apache) claims to this area are not considered valid. Today, the SUIR encompasses an area of more than 450 square miles (750,000 acres) in La Plata and Archuleta Counties, Colorado. Tribal headquarters are located adjacent to the town of Ignacio. The Tribal enrollment in 1997 was 1,330, with the majority of members living on the reservation in La Plata County. The Tribal census shows that 38 percent of the membership is under 20 years of age and 76 percent is under 40 years of age. Natural resources on the reservation include extensive gas reserves, coal, timber, and water for agriculture. These resources provide the basis for the establishment of a diversified Tribal economic base. Tribal energy resources in the form of natural gas have played the largest role in the reservation economy over the past decade (93 percent of Tribal revenues in 1994 came from energy resource development) (Reclamation, 2000a). There are presently no known Tribal activities within five miles. The Anasazi (Ancestral Puebloan) people were the earliest known inhabitants of Archuleta County and the surrounding area. Archaeological evidence at the Chimney Rock ruins indicates a thriving community in and around the site until about 1125 AD. Following the Anasazi were the Ute, Apache, and Navajo peoples who have lived and hunted in the area for centuries. Revered by the Indians, the Pagosa (a Ute word meaning boiling water) Hot Springs were frequented by many of the tribes. Accounts from the early Anglo explorers describe well-worn trails from all directions converging on the springs, and "Red- men's bathing houses", depressions and sweat lodges, were located around the seeps and cavities near the big spring. No evidence of prehistoric or historic occupation of the site by any Amerind has been found, and is unlikely due to far better camping sites and sites for other activities being located very close-by. Spanish explorers and missionaries, as well as the French, visited the area seeking gold and converts prior to 1848 when Mexico ceded the area to the United States. The U.S. Government then established relations with the Indians and through a series of Treaties (1848, 1868, 1873, 1880), "bought" most of their land. In the Brunot Treaty of 1873,the Southern Ute Reservation was established in its present location, which included the southwestern part of what later became Archuleta County, formed from part of Conejos County in 1885. Fort Lewis was established in 1878 near the Pagosa hot springs to protect settlers and travelers from the Indians. The town grew around the fort and remained after the fort moved west to Red Mesa in La Plata County. The Town of Pagosa Springs was platted and surveyed in 1883 and C&J Gravel Products, Inc. Page 79 of 93 20 OCT 2021 Application for Permit: Oakbrush Hill Gravel M-2021- C&J-DPR-V5-001