1981-11-13_PERMIT FILE - C1981013 (27)

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REPORT ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN THE VICINITIES OF THE ALLEN AND MAXWELL MINES, CF&I STEEL CORPORATION, LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, COLORADO By John Martin Campbell, Ph.D. The following report provides information sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the new Federal Office of Surface Mining CSec. 783.12) , and State Mined Land Reclamation Board (Sec. 2.04.4) regulations at the CF&I Steel Corporation Allen and Maxwell Mines, which are situated near the Purgatoire River, and near Colorado State Highway Number 12, about 30 miles west of Trinidad, Colorado. Investigations at the Allen Mine: As per your instructions I intensively examined twenty-two (22) acres which lie between the Purgatoire River and Colorado State Highway 12, just west of the Allen Mine Headquarters (see enclosed Maps 1 and 2) . This locality lies at an elevation of about 7500 feet, above sea level, and slopes gently southward from the above noted highway to the Purgatoire River. During my investigations in late fall and early winter 1980 the ground 'surfaces were rather extensively covered with herbs and forbs, and small copses of short "trees". Dominant plant species included Gambel's oak and coyote willow. Other, most notable species included l sweet clover, goldenrod, mullein, sunflower, Wood's rose, winter fat, rag sumpweed, Palmer's snowberry, cockleburr, false terragon, sage, alder, Virginia chokecherry and horsetail. The bird species observed were: red-tailed hawk, wild turkey, Lewis ' woodpecker, dipper, robin and white-crowned sparrow. Marmnals included: racoon, coyote and mule deer. Note. specific Latin names of these plants and animals will be supplied on request. On this plot of ground the archaeological materials observed were as follows: (1) Three (3) widely scattered and widely separated quartzsite spalls which had not been retouched, and which were undiagnostic as regards former cultural origin or affiliation. (2) Six (6) fragments of ungulate long bone which were found eroding from an arroyo bank near the easternmost margin of the locality in question (see Map 2) . These fragments occurred two hundred and fifty (250) feet south of Colorado State Highway 12. They protruded from the east side of the arroyo bank, two (2) feet above the bottom of the arroyo, and seven (7) feet below the top of the bank. The bones are too fragmen- tary to be positively determined, but they may represent Bison, and I feel that this particular location should be further examined before it is covered with tailings or otherwise destroyed.