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Site Description. A named road, the Hayden to 20 Mile Park Road, appears on the 1914
<br />GLO plat for T6N, R87W, Sections 6, 7, 8, 17, 20, 21, 28 and 33 and the 1915 plat for TSN, R87W
<br />in Sections 4, 9,15, 22, 23 and 24. Roads following the same general path as the historic road were
<br />located and were newly recorded as this historic linear segment (5RT2749.1) where it passes
<br />through the current project area. The recorded segment begins on County Road 27 in a narrow valley
<br />about 2.5 miles south of the Yampa River. Hillberry Mountain and the Williams Fork Mountains
<br />make up the western valley wall while a long, high north/south-trending, uplifted ridgeline is visible
<br />to the east. County Road 27 generally follows the historic path of the road depicted on the 1914
<br />GLO plat for T6N, R87W, Sections 28 and 33 and on the 1915 GLO plat for TSN, R87W, Sections
<br />4, 9, 15, 22 and 23 as it traverses the eastern edge of the valley floor. Near the southern edge of the
<br />project area, where the paved county road continues south, the historic path turns east around the
<br />southern end of the high ridge that makes up the eastern valley wall. As the historic path turns east
<br />at a locked gate, it becomes a maintained gravel road. After about 300 m, the historic road is visible
<br />as a raised road bed where it leaves the gravel road. It continues southeast through an open
<br />sagebrush flat on the northern terrace of an unnamed, intermittent tributary flowing east to Fish
<br />Creek. The recorded segment ends at the southeastern corner of the project area and at a high
<br />transmission line. At this location, other vehicle tracks disturb the historic road bed making it
<br />indistinguishable from other ephemeral two track roads in the area that may be associated with
<br />transmission line access.
<br />No historic features were observed along the path. A few historic artifacts recorded within
<br />the boundary of prehistoric Site 5RT512, near the southern end of the segment, including a key strip
<br />food can, a child's metal wagon, a metal folding chair, a tricycle seat and rear wheels and scattered,
<br />sun-colored amethyst glass fragments may be associated with the historic road. In addition, small
<br />patches of decomposing concrete found to the north of the road in this same area are likely related
<br />to the historic road. The entire segment is 30,053 ft. long and averages about 13 ft. wide.
<br />Eligibility and Management Recommendations. The Hayden to 20 Mile Road (5RT2749)
<br />served as an important route of transportation through this area since at least 1914. It connected the
<br />ranches and homesteads along the major drainages of Sage, Grassy and Fish Creeks as settlement
<br />stretched along those basin areas as well as the Yampa Valley Coal Fields and the town of Oak
<br />Creek and other small communities to the south with the towns of Hayden and Craig and the
<br />Highway 40 corridor. Because the road served as an important path of travel, commerce and
<br />communication in this remote area of northwest Colorado, this resource is recommended as eligible
<br />for inclusion on the NRHP under Criterion A. This recommendation, however, is predicated on the
<br />fact that segments outside of the current project area retain the elements of historic integrity that
<br />support the eligibility of the entire resource.
<br />The currently recorded segment (5RT2749.1) does not retain the physical characteristics of
<br />the original road. Over most of the length of the road segment, the resource is a paved county road
<br />or maintained gravel road that has been rerouted from its original path and retains none of the
<br />workmanship, design or materials of the original road. The setting and feeling of the surrounding
<br />area have also been significantly altered by high, overhead transmission lines, a few modern homes,
<br />mining activities and the revegetation of historically plowed fields. 5RT2749.1 does not support
<br />the entire resource's recommendation of eligibility. No further work is recommended for the current
<br />project.
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