Historic Engineering Marvel Hangs In Peril

April 30, 2004

Looking to mine gold in the Dolores River Canyon, 19th-Century prospectors put to test the most innovative engineering techniques of the day, laying plans to build what’s still the longest hanging flume on record in Colorado. Over a three-year period during the late 1880s, the Montrose Placer Mining Company constructed a 13-mile flume in an effort to harness water energy and extract valuable ore from deposits found along the river.

Workers cut ledges, drilled holes and inserted 18-inch metal rods into the rock. They lowered 200-pound wooden beams and maneuvered them into place to support the weight of running water. They performed these physically challenging tasks without modern safety equipment, without power tools and, at certain points, while suspended hundreds of feet above the ground.

Now more than one hundred years after its construction, remaining sections of the Hanging Flume are showing signs of extreme deterioration. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to draw visitors driving along Highway 141—part of the Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway. The flume is also listed as one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places, but hopefully not for long.

With a $111,696 grant from the State Historical Fund (SHF), a program of the Colorado Historical Society, efforts to document and preserve this historic landmark will soon be underway. Starting

April 26, a carefully assembled team of preservationists, archaeologists and rock climbers will meet near Uravan, Colo., to conduct a week of rigorous fieldwork. Detailed information will be gathered to document the archaeology, history, engineering and material resources associated with the Hanging Flume, as well as to develop a master plan for future preservation, interpretation and potential use of the site as a heritage tourism destination.

"The Hanging Flume is rapidly deteriorating, so preserving this innovative technology and documenting its place in the development of Colorado is paramount," explains Michelle Murphy, executive director of Western Colorado Interpretive Association (WCIA), the organization overseeing the grant from SHF. "Throughout the western United States there are only a few remnants of hanging flumes. And to date, none have been preserved for public education or appreciation. The Hanging Flume presents an opportunity to save a colorful piece of Colorado mining history for the benefit of present and future generations."

In addition to the current grant, WCIA received a previous SHF grant to conduct a historic structure assessment of the Hanging Flume, which was completed in 2002. The assessment identified that much of the original structure had been lost through scavenging, deterioration, development, road construction and lack of maintenance. Upcoming fieldwork, however, will help ensure that even if no work takes place beyond this point, valuable information on the Hanging Flume will always be available to cultural resource professionals and the general public alike.

The total project cost to complete detailed documentation of the Hanging Flume is estimated at $148,928. To supplement the SHF grant, matching funds totaling $37,232 were contributed by the following individuals and organizations: John Hendricks, part-time area resident and owner of the Discovery Channel; John Bratton, owner of Gateway Construction and Design; the Bacon Family Foundation; the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Mountains/Plains Office; San Miguel County; the Bureau of Land Management; and Montrose West Recreation, Inc.