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5 TATS INVVSrP7T0RY FORDS <br />~J <br />2) S~ N*p,,yE Oliver <br />ADDRESS Somerset Colorado <br />~) Site Nu.:~ber -picture <br />Site Threatened X Power Plant) <br />_ T 13s R 9041 S 10 <br />3) OWNER Delta idontrose Electric Association Deltas CO. <br />U. S. Steel So:.~erset~ Colorado <br />i-o::er <br />4) CONDITION excellent X Ply^t~ood fail ruing X (rest of area) <br />buildings occupied unoccupied X <br />5) PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION Building has 1 2 3 X storms (Poorer P1; <br />frame atone log brick X other <br />indicate <br />•SZGNIFICAiJCE Be specific making certain to give date(s}, List <br />your :,ounces, If nec~ssetry continue on the back. <br />Site consists of the remains of the once prosrorous Oliver Mine and essoci.ated <br />buildings. The mine eras opened in 1924 an~i ~;as op: rated by tt;e Oliver frrtily until <br />it was sold to the Calu.~net I~:el Ca:.pa.-:y i:i 1944. The to:m ,just east o_* the mine and <br />goy, ~r plant once contained a blacksmit`1 shop, bowing house and eight or ei;ne "carp <br />shanties" and coapany houses and most to::•n structures o:ere constructed in 1923 r+~ <br />1924. The portal ncrth of the presc:it hiFt::l;y ;:as the original opening, and coal <br />was conveyed via a tipple that crossed the rosd. Cori o:as trucked to Somerset for <br />rail transport prior to 1930• After that~~e com~,a:~y-built Zii~e connecte3 the opera- <br />tion ~,tith the D:-RG'.1 railroad ii: Somerset and IY.:: ;:1 transported the coal. The coal <br />called "]ted Glow Coal"~ 1~ad a very high reputation throughout the !lestern Slopes and <br />was sold to such distant areas as Orcpon end i:as::ingtcn. The nine ores sold to <br />Calumet Fl~cl Compare in 191:9, aster opening the youth vein in 1943• <br />The Fec:er Plant ::-as co7~leted in 1930 an l was sold to the ;•;estern Por:cr Co. <br />soon thereai'te:•. At one time it supplied all po: er frcm Oliver to tlontrose~ using <br />only 800 of its 1000 kw. capacity. Its capacity r:as doubled in the 1940~s. The <br />power plant is the only structure thzt remains intact. <br />All inSonnati.on on the site cane from tiarc;aret (i4rs. F,chzn} Oliver. P.efer <br />to the Cultural 1?esource Inventorf ]tcporl; for ;lcstern Slope Carbon Exploration and <br />7) Develcpnent (Gordon & Kranzush -Archaeological Consultants 1977) for further detail. <br />• Name Kris r. ~-ush <br />CnnJ rant^sh - Archaco?.c~,ical Cons. <br />39S reet <br />Boul< ~lorado 80303 <br />Address <br />