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„~~ ~IIII~II~IIIII~~III ~~i^~~~ ~ L~~% ~~E_,~~h ~,J~t~~~lt; JUL 221980 <br />-t <br />(~ <br />t %--"-~ Thomas 0. David MINED LAND RECLAMATION <br />''i ` ; ,~ ;4 '.tr ~' To_i;e1d County Attorney o,te, JulyO~~ De Rig~fONatural Resources <br />,.::.I 1. ;1.; t.> \':~, <br />COLOt`3AD0 F,om_ _J. Robert Lowenbach, Assistant County Attorney <br />Subjects History of Hokestra Pit <br />I am cariting this memo in response to your request for history of <br />the Hokestra Gravel Pit for use in the penalty hearing before the <br />?tined Land Reclamation Board presently set for July 23, 1980. In <br />compiling this history, I have relied primarily upon statements <br />of George ?•~argheim who has been with the County since 1954 and is <br />pr.eser.tly Production Head for P7eld County Road and Bridge Depart- <br />ment. A significant amount of the information contained in this <br />summary ~•ras obtained from Don P•iorgan who was supervisor for Dis- <br />trict Ii of tiie no ad and Bridge Department at the time of his <br />retirement in 1976. P's. Morgan was with R'eld County from 1956 <br />through 1976. ' <br />,~ T:-~e first gravel mining operation performed by (veld County on the <br />Sou>h St. Grain ir. the vicinity of the Hokestra Pit oras begun in <br />'-`- late 1950's. T};is operation Baas begun directly to the East <br />_~.~ <br />o= '.:Hero i•7ela Counter Road '_3 presently crosses the South St. Vrain. <br />This Wining eras performe3 or. land owned by i,ir. Lee Gould orhose home <br />_s 1o ^_ated within one-h a.1f IDlle CL the r1Ver at the 1nt2rS2Ct1Gn Of <br />c;eld Cc~anty Roads 13 and 26. As is the case c,'ith all of the mining <br />along the South St. Vrain (with the exception of the present site <br />.lest of k'eld County Road 9 3/4), the landowner, l~ir. Gould, requested <br />th=_t the County mine gravel in the river in order to remove sand <br />bars which were obstructing the free flow of water in times of high <br />water. In addition, the river was straightened in several places <br />tc cut out loops which were eroding the banks of the creek and <br />-fringing upon pasture land. i•:hi1e i~;r. 1•iorgan was unable to re- <br />ca'L1 the exact years that the raining on the Gould property ~~oo}: <br />place, he estimated that those operations took place from approxi- <br />mal:ely 1956 through perh4ps 1962. <br />In the 1960's, County mining operations progressed upstream from' <br />t,'el.d County Road 13. Ir. the early 1960's, miring was done on land <br />which is located directly West of Weld County Road 13. The owner <br />of this property was a I`L. Doc Bailey. Mr. Bailey agreed to alloca <br />Weld County to mine this gravel in exchange for ~7eld County's <br />agreement to straighten the river to avoid further erosion of the <br />banks North of the river and further with the understanding that <br />:;old County o;ocld leave a level area to the 2dorth of the creek so <br />as to provide a landing strip for I"Lr. Bailey's light aircraft. <br />