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<br />Abstract <br />An intensive inventory for cultural resources and a site testing program were conducted in 1997 <br />by Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, [nc. on several facilities associated with the Lorencito <br />Canyon coal mine west of Trinidad in I.as Animas County, Colorado. These facilities include <br />two haul roads, an access road, a rail spur, several sedimentation ponds and associated fill areas, <br />two power lines, and a water line. Thirteen prehistoric sites, two segments of an historic railroad, <br />thirteen prehistoric isolated finds, and one historic isolated find were recorded. In addition, a <br />previously recorded historic church was reevaluated. Evaluative test excavations were conducted <br />on five newly discovered sites and on six previously recorded sites along one of the haul roads, <br />• the rail spur, and the load out facility. "twenty-two sites fall within the newly created Lorencito <br />Canyon Rural Historic Landscape and are evaluated with respect to their contribution to the <br />significance of that district. Of those 22, 14 are recommended as contributing, four as potentially <br />contributing, and four as not contributing. The historic church is recommended as potentially <br />eligible to the National Register and the two railroad segments are recommended as contributing <br />to the eligibility of the entire railroad. Two sites lie outside the rural landscape and are <br />recommended as eligible to the National Register. Management recommendations for the one <br />eligible site are presented sepazately in a previously submitted treatment plan. Conditional <br />cultural resource clearance is recommended for all the facilities contingent upon preparation and <br />implementation of a data recovery plan for the Lorencito Canyon Rural Historic District. An <br />exception to this is those portions of the proposed facilities that lie within the eligible site. The <br />recommendation of cultural cleazance is also conditional provided that potentially significant <br />portions of two sites are avoided. <br /> <br />ii <br />