Laserfiche WebLink
e <br />ESPEY, HUSTON 8 ASSOCIATES, INC. <br />• <br />The land is basically capable of supporting the existing land uses and <br />possibly a minor amount of crop production (at the expense of native hay production) <br />which is not considered economically viable because of the limited azea suitable for <br />production (see Soils Resources, Chapter I -Northern No. 1 (FF-Seam) Mine) and the <br />short growing season at this high elevation. <br />3.5 PAST MINING WTTHIN MINE PLAN AREA <br />Three mining operations have been conducted in the past within the lease <br />area, permit azea, mine plan area, and adjacent azea. The Miller underground mine <br />(R. G. Rienau) was located in the SE3:SW3~ Section 29, T2N, R93W and is visible from <br />State Highway 13/789 (see Exhibit D-1). In 1911, this mine consisted of an entry <br />that ran 80 feet S80°W and then opened to the surface. The width of the entry <br />increased from about 5 feet at the mouth to 30 feet at the extreme end, where coal <br />• has been mined out along the dip. The coal bed strikes N80°W and dips 24°N10°E. <br />The seam is a local 9-foot thick coal in the Iles Formation. The entrance to the <br />mine has collapsed and currently extends only about 10 feet into the hillside. Total <br />production is not known, but was quite small considering the mine size (Hancock and <br />Eby, 1930). Land use prior to mining included homesteads and ranching (see <br />Archaeological, Cultural and Historical Resources, Chapter E). <br />The Rienau No.l (G-Seam) underground mine was operated on federal <br />coal lease D-044240 (NW3+SE'/a Sec. 29 T2N, R93W) immediately opposite the <br />existing Rienau No. 2 (G-Seam) Mine (see Exhibit D-1). The Rienau No. 1 (G-Seam) <br />Mine was operated intermittently between 1933 and 1965 when it was closed due to <br />roof problems, most probably associated with room and pillar design. Coal was <br />mined from the G Seam in the Williams Fork Formation. Projection of the <br />subsurface azea of this mine to surface indicates the mine to have been about <br />7.6 acres in areal extent. Production (as recorded by the USGS) totalled 123,025 <br />• <br />D-5 <br />