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SATE INVE'A?TORY FORA! <br />~~ ~,yg Oliver <br />ADDRESS Somerset, Colorado <br />3) OWNER Delta i4ontrose Electric Association <br />U. S. Steel Somerset, Colorado <br />~) Sitc Number -picture <br />Site Threatened X Power Plant) <br />T 13S R 90W S SO <br />Delta, CO. <br />Fo::er <br />4) CONDITION excellent X Plant ood fair ruins X (rest of area) <br />buildings occupied unoccupied X <br />5) PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION Building has 1 2 3 X atorl.ea (Power Pic <br />frame 3toae log brick X other <br />indicate <br />~IGNIFICFiNCE Be specific making certain to give date(s). List <br />our sources. If necessary continue on the back. <br />Site consists of the remains of the once prosperous Oliver 14ine and associated <br />bvildir.Es. The mine was opened in 1924, and was operated by the Oliver fanny until <br />it was sold to the Calumet IL•el Ca:.na.•~y in 1949. The tom dust east oS the mine and <br />po~.:~r plant once cont~in-~d a blacksmith shops boarding house and eight or nine "camp <br />shanties" and corpar~ houses, and most town structures were constructed in 1923 ~~ <br />1924• The portal ncrth of the prese:~t hi.Fhway ti:as the original opcning~ and coal <br />was conveyed via a tipple that crossed the road. Coal ryas trucked to Somerset for <br />rail transport prior to 1930. After that~te com},a.'~y-built line connected the opera- <br />tion ~a.th the D:-RG':] railroad in Somerset, and I&::C:~1 tran_ported the coal. The coal, <br />called "Red Glolr Coal", had a very high reputation throughout the l•Iestem Sloper and <br />ryas sold to such distant areas as Orepon and Was::ington. The mine was sold to <br />Calumet Fucl Co:mpar~ in 1949r after opening the eouth vein in 1943• <br />The Pe::er Plant was completed in 1930 anal was sold to the Western Power Co. <br />soon thereafter. At one time it supplied all po:~er from Oliver to tdontroser using <br />only 800 of its LOCO kw. capaci±y. Its capacity was double3 in the 191,0's. The <br />power plant is the only structure that remains intact. <br />All infonnation on the site came from 1•fargaret (Mrs. Edk3n) Oliver. P.efer <br />to the Cultural Re:,ource Inventory ltepori: for Picstern Slope Carbon Exploration and <br />~) Develcpment (Gordon k Kranzush -Archaeological Consultants 197?) for further detail. <br />Narne Kris K <br />• Ger.!.:. <br />39~ <br />Boul: <br />Address <br />~~ush <br />'ranr~sh - Aroliacol.c.Fica1 Cons. <br />~reet <br />~lorado 80303 <br />