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West Elk Mhie <br />valley of the North Fork of the Gunnison River in Delta County to the confluence of Hubbard <br />• Creek and the North Fork of the Gunnison River. In Gunnison County in 1964, 23.4 percent of <br />the farmland was irrigated and 66.6 percent of that land had crops harvested from it. <br />2.04.4 Cultural and Historical Resource Information <br />Significant Cultural and Historic Resources <br />There are no known cultural and historic resources within the West Elk Mine permit area listed <br />or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. There are no known significant <br />archaeological sites existing on any areas proposed or likely to be affected by coal mine <br />development, extraction or subsidence over the life of the mine in this area. <br />The USFS has required on-the-ground cultural and historic investigations for areas of surface <br />disturbance at the mine where potential or actual impact to cultural or historic resources could <br />occur. The results of these investigations have identified or located very few cultural and <br />historic resources (Spath 1995, Exhibit 10C). <br />As part of the cultural and historic investigations required by the U.S. Forest Service, file <br />searches have been conducted through the Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic <br />Preservation (OAHP). The file searches identified 18 cultural resource investigations that <br />have included portions of the legal sections containing the permit area. The only <br />• documented cultural resources in the vicinity of the West Elk Mine permit area and Box Canyon <br />lease tract are the Hawk's Nest Coal Mine, the Oliver Mine, the Gallob Mine in Sylvester Gulch, <br />and a prehistoric artifact scatter and two prehistoric isolated finds near Minnesota Creek <br />in Sections 33 and 34, T13S, R90W. (Spath 1995, WCRM 1994, Exhibit 10C). <br />Cultural and historic resource investigators have concluded that pre-European use of the <br />irnrnediate mine area was probably limited by steep topography, narrow drainage channels, thick <br />vegetative cover, and unpredictable water sources. These factors combined to limit pre- <br />contact area usage to small, transient hunting groups. These factors would also explain the <br />relative paucity of pre-European sites and artifacts identified in the area. <br />Historic use of the area has been largely limited to livestock grazing and recreation. <br />Historical resources that have been identified in the general area include stock camps, <br />irrigation ditches, and split-rail fences. None of these resources have been recommended as <br />eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. <br />Recoin nendations of cultural and historic resource investigators are limited to pedestrian <br />surveys of likely camp areas located within flat or gently sloping areas within areas to be <br />affected by West Elk Mine operations. A qualified archaeologist will survey these areas if <br />surface disturbance is proposed by MCC. <br />0 <br />2.04-7 Revised Jmae 2005 PRIO; Rev. March 2006 ; Rev. Apri12006 PRIO, Sep. 2007 PR12