Appendix_F_-_ROMO_Fall_River_Entrance_Class_III_Inventory_Final_Metcalf_03242021_0002.pdf

ANDERSON HALLAS ARCHITECTS: CLASS III

CULTURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY FOR THE

BIGHORN RANGER STATION/FALL RIVER

ENTRANCE WASTEWATER AND WATER

SYSTEMS AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL

PARK, LARIMER COUNTY, COLORADO

By:

Clive Briggs and Dante Knapp

With contributions by

Jesse Clark

Prepared for:

National Park Service, Rocky Mountain National Park

Under contract to Anderson Hallas Architects; Contract No. 140P2019D0016

Metcalf Project No. 2020.CO.076

Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc.

11495 West 8th Ave., Suite 104 Lakewood, CO 80215

Office (303) 425-4507 x116

Principal Investigator:

Kim Kintz

March, 2021

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Privileged Information—Do Not Release

For Official Use Only: Disclosure of site locations prohibited (43 CFR 7.18) Privileged Information—Do Not Release Page | iii

ABSTRACT

Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc. (Metcalf), under contract with Anderson Hallas Architects, has completed a Class III cultural resource inventory for the Big Horn Ranger Station and Fall River Entrance at Rocky Mountain National Park in Larimer County, Colorado. The survey area is located in the 6th PM, Township 5 North, Range 73 West, Sections 8 and 17 on federal land, covering a total of 16.31 acres. Rocky Mountain National Park (Park) of the National Park Service (NPS) is the lead agency for this survey.

The survey area encompasses the Fall River Entrance Historic District, including the Bighorn Ranger Station and the Fall River Entrance Station, a 160 foot wide corridor extending approximately 1,600 feet (ft) northwest from the historic district adjacent to the southwest of Bighorn Creek, and an amorphous area on the southwest side of US Highway 34 extending approximately 250 ft to 360 ft southwest of the highway. Metcalf inventoried the entire survey area and did not exclude any areas of previous survey or steep cross slopes.

The survey resulted in updating five Euro-American historic sites and structures.

Rerecorded resources include an artifact scatter (5LR00651), a habitation (5LR04491), a segment of Old United States Highway 34 (5LR13378.8), an entire road (5LR14434), and the above ground manifestations of the Fall River Entrance Pipeline (5LR14440). 5LR00651 was recommended not eligible for inclusion to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982, 2003, and 2017, but in 2019, it was amended to determined eligible. 5LR04491 was recommended needs data in 1999, recommended eligible in 2017, and amended to determined not eligible in 2019. In 2019, 5LR13378.8 was recommended eligible/supporting, 5LR14434 was determined NRHP not eligible, and 5LR14440 was determined NRHP eligible. Metcalf agrees with the official determinations for 5LR00651, 5LR04491, 5LR14434, and 5LR14440 and the eligibility recommendation for 5LR13378.8.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. III

LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... V

LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... V

CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION FORM ................... VI

INTRODUCTION

ENVIRONMENT

Topography and Geology

Soils

Flora and Fauna

Land Use Patterns/Built Environment

CULTURE HISTORY AND PREVIOUS WORK

Culture History

Historic Period

Euro-American Exploration, Settlement, and Tourism

Transportation Development in Colorado: 1900-1920s

Fall River Road / State Highway 16 / US Highway 34

Fall River Entrance Historic District

Previous Work

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH DESIGN

FIELD AND LABORATORY METHODS

Survey Methodology

SURVEY RESULTS

Sites

5LR00651

5LR04491

5LR13378.8

5LR14434

5LR14440

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES CITED

INTRODUCTION

RESULTS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES CITED

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APPENDICES

Appendix A: Resource Location Maps(agency copies only; not for public distribution) Appendix B: Geotech Archaeological Monitoring Report Appendix C: OAHP Cultural Resource Forms (under separate cover; agency copies only; not for public distribution)

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Survey location map. ................................................................................................... viii Figure 2. Survey overview at Bighorn Ranger Station. The view to the southwest

Figure 3. Survey overview of the south portion of survey area. The view is to the north

Figure 4. 1928 GLO dependent resurvey plat of T5N, 75W, 6th PM

Figure 5. Segment 5LR13378.8 depicted on the 1915 Longs Peak quadrangle (USGS 1915a). 10

Figure 6. Historic east entrance stations (adapted from Steely and Huey 2021)

Figure 7. 5LR00651 sketch map

Figure 8. 5LR04491 sketch map

Figure 9. Fall River Road/US Highway 34 segment (5LR13378.8) sketch map

Figure 10. 5LR14434 sketch map

Figure 11. Fall River Entrance Pipeline (5LR14440) sketch map

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Previous surveys overlapping the survey area

Table 2. Overlapping previously recorded cultural resources or mapped within 100 ft

Table 3. Newly recorded and updated resources during survey

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Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation

CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION FORM

Federal acres of Potential Effect/Project: 16.31 Acres surveyed: 16.31 State acres of Potential Effect/Project: Acres surveyed:

Private acres of Potential Effect/Project: Acres surveyed

TOTAL 16.31 TOTAL 16.31

Legal Location of Project (attach additional pages if necessary)

Principal Meridian: 6th County: Larimer USGS Quad Name: Estes Park 1961 PR 1977

Township 5 N Range 73 W Section 8 SW 1/4 SE 1/4 Township 5 N Range 73 W Section 17 NW 1/4 NE 1/4 Township 5 N Range 73 W Section 17 NE 1/4 NE 1/4 Township 5 N Range 73 W Section 17 SE 1/4 NE 1/4

Site Number Site Type Eligibility Effect Treatment / Management Recommendations Comments

Pr eh ist or ic

H is to ric

Pa le on to lo gi ca l

U nk no w n

El ig ib

N ee ds D at a

N ot

E lig

C on tri bu tin g

N on

-C on tri bu tin g

Su pp or tin g

N on

-S up po rti ng o

H ist or ic

P ro pe rti es A ffe ct ed

A dv er se

E ffe

A dv er se

E

Fu rth er W or k

A vo id

Pr es er ve

M ito r

Te st

Ex ca va te rc hi va l R es ea rc h

A rc hi va l D oc um en ta tio n

O th

SITES

5LR00651 X X X

5LR00651 was determined not eligible in 1982, 2003, and 2017. In 2019, it was amended to determined eligible.

Metcalf agrees with this determination.

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Site Number Site Type Eligibility Effect Treatment / Management Recommendations Comments

Pr eh ist or ic

H is to ric

Pa on to lo gi ca l

U nk no w n

El ig ee ds D at a

N ot

E lig

C tri bu tin g

N on

-C on tri bu tin g

Su pp or tin g

N on

-S up po rti ng

H ist or ic

P ro pe rti es A ffe ed

A dv er se

E dv er se

E

Fu rth er W or k

A vo id

Pr es ve

M ito r

Te st

Ex ca va te rc hi va l R es ea rc h

A rc hi va l D oc um en ta tio n

O th

5LR04491 X X X

5LR04491 was recommended needs data in 1999 and recommended eligible in 2017. In 2019, it was amended to determined not eligible. Metcalf agrees with this determination.

5LR13378.8 X X X X

5LR13378.8 was recommended eligible/supporting in 2019. Metcalf extended 5LR13378.8 and is recommending eligible/supporting.

5LR14434 X X X

5LR14434 was determined not eligible in 2019.

Metcalf agrees with this determination.

5LR14440 X X X

5LR14440 was determined eligible in 2019. Metcalf agrees with this determination.

ISOLATED FINDS

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Figure 1. Survey location map.

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INTRODUCTION

Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc. (Metcalf), under contract with Anderson Hallas Architects, has completed a Class III cultural resource inventory for the Big Horn Ranger Station and Fall River Entrance at Rocky Mountain National Park in Larimer County, Colorado. The survey area (Figure 1) is located in the 6th PM, Township 5 North, Range 73 West, Sections 8 and 17 on federal land, covering a total of 16.31 acres. Rocky Mountain National Park (Park) of the National Park Service (NPS) is the lead agency for this survey.

The survey area encompasses the Fall River Entrance Historic District, including the Bighorn Ranger Station and the Fall River Entrance Station, a corridor measuring approximately 1,600 feet (ft) long by160 wide by extending northwest from the historic district adjacent to the southwest of Bighorn Creek, and an amorphous area on the southwest side of US Highway 34 extending approximately 250 ft to 360 ft southwest of the highway (Figure 1). Metcalf inventoried the entire survey area and did not exclude any areas of previous survey or steep cross slopes.

The cultural resource survey complies with Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and may be used to facilitate compliance with 54 U.S.C. § 306108 (commonly known as Section 106 of the NHPA). The survey also complies with other applicable federal legislation and regulations by providing information on the presence of cultural resources, recommendations about resource eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and information for Section 106 compliance pertaining to effect when historic properties are present.

Fieldwork for this survey was conducted August 31 and September 1, 2020 by Metcalf archaeologists Clive Briggs and Dante Knapp. Jesse Clark prepared field and report maps and created GIS data shapefiles for the survey. Kim Kintz served as the principal investigator.

Metcalf conducted all work under the terms of survey scope of work and the company’s research design for the survey (Briggs 2020). All field documentation, maps, and photographs for this survey are on file at Metcalf’s office in Lakewood and in the Park’s archives.

ENVIRONMENT

TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY

The Park is located within the Southern Rocky Mountains region (Fenneman 1946), which is characterized by high elevations centered along the Continental Divide (Divide) with mountains reaching over 14,000 ft in elevation and topography that drops drastically in elevation east and west of the Divide. The survey area is located on the east side of the Divide with the Fall River comprising the main drainage and watershed (Figure 2 and Figure 3). Prominent landmarks within or near the survey area include Bighorn Creek, Hondius Park, Deer Mountain, and McGregor Mountain. The elevation ranges from 8,215 ft (2,504 m) to 8,453 ft (2,576 m).

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Figure 2. Survey overview at Bighorn Ranger Station. The view to the southwest.

Figure 3. Survey overview of the south portion of survey area. The view is to the north.

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Park landforms include the glaciated highland zone, centered on the Divide above 9,000 ft (2,743 m); the upland zone to the east, between 7,500 ft (2,286 m) and 9,000 ft (2,743 m); and the Granby Lowlands on the western slope of the Park, where elevations from the highland zone quickly decline to 8,000 ft (2,438 m) to the Upper Colorado River valley. The survey area is characterized by the upland zone, where most drainages exhibit glacial processes of the Quaternary Period (Cole and Braddock 1990). The dominant geologic units that compose the mountains and ridges of the survey area consist of Middle Proterozoic igneous Silver Plume Granite and Early Proterozoic metamorphic biotite schist. Pleistocene and Holocene age deposits, including alluvium, colluvium, talus, glacial rock debris, glacial till, and landslide deposits, are found along major intermittent streams, alluvial fans along valley margins, mountain slopes, glacial moraines, and within knob-and-kettle topography (Cole and Braddock 1990). Raw material suitable for stone tool production is very limited within the Park; however, one source of ore-quality rhyolite is found at Specimen Mountain.

SOILS

During the survey, Metcalf observed granitic colluvium, residuum, and alluvium of varying depths. These sediments extend to 10 to 30 centimeters (cm) below surface and often overlay near-surface granite bedrock where pin flag probing was conducted at sites and observed in road cutbanks. As mapped by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS 2020), different soil series are present in different quantities in the survey area. Soils series’ include: Isolation gravelly sandy loam (70.8 percent) derived from granite, gneiss, and/or schist glacial till along 5 to 35 percent slopes that reach a maximum depth of more than 80 inches; Rock outcrop-Cathedral complex (16.9 percent) consisting of surface exposure of granite and/or gneiss and/or schist along 20 to 100 percent slopes; Rofork-Chasmfalls complex (12 percent) derived from gravelly alluvium, which is a derivative of granite, gneiss, and/or schist weathered residuum along 5 to 35 percent slopes that reach a maximum depth of 10 to 20 inches; and Nanita very gravelly sandy loam (0.2 percent) derived from Sandy and gravelly glacial till of schist and/or granite and/or gneiss along 10 to 60 percent slopes that reach a maximum depth of more than 80 inches.

FLORA AND FAUNA

The survey area is located in the montane ecological zone dominated by an overstory of mostly ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), with some areas containing lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Douglas fir (Pseudostuga menzeiseii), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), and Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.). Understory plants include alderleaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus Raf), serviceberry (Amelanchier Medik) common juniper (Juniperus communis L.), kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi [L.] Spreng.), Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium), and various grasses (Poaceae) and wildflowers. Riparian areas contain aspen (Populus tremuloides) and various willows (Epilobium ssp.), mountain alder (Alnus viridis), water birch (Betula occidentalis), and blue spruce (Picea pungens) (NPS 2020, PLANTS Database 2020). Ground visibility throughout the survey area is generally poor because of thick grasses and pine duff and on average ranged from 10 to 40 percent. In isolated areas ground visibility is good (40 to 60 percent), or excellent (100 percent) along roads.

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Fauna in the region includes coyotes, jackrabbits, foxes, raccoons, skunks, bobcats, rodents, golden and bald eagles, hawks, owls, turkeys, sage grouse, and other various bird and raptor species. Mule deer, black bear, and elk are abundant; moose occur occasionally. The field crew noted deer, elk, bear, and raptors.

LAND USE PATTERNS/BUILT ENVIRONMENT

The area is primarily used as Park facilities including the Bighorn Ranger Station and the Fall River Entrance. Although, within the south portion of the survey area, southwest of United States Highway 34 (US 34), the area is currently used for recreation with heavy equestrian and pedestrian trail use along an abandoned alignment of US 34 (5LR13378.8). The area now designated as the Park attracted pre-contact American Indians and Euro-American visitors since the late 1800s, prior to the formal establishment of the area as a national park in 1915, and a growing number of visitors explore the Park each year.

CULTURE HISTORY AND PREVIOUS WORK

CULTURE HISTORY

The survey area is situated within the Platte River Basin geographic region, which encompasses northeastern Colorado. An in-depth discussion of the culture history and research issues for the region regarding the Prehistoric and Protohistoric Periods can be found in Colorado Prehistory: A Context for the Platte River Basin (Gilmore et al. 1999). However, no prehistoric or Protohistoric resources were recorded during the survey and the culture history for the survey relates to the historic period.

HISTORIC PERIOD

Comprehensive historic contexts have been written for the general survey area. The most recent can be found in Colorado History: A Context for Historical Archeology (Church et al.

2007), The History of Rocky Mountain National Park (Butler 2005), and Colorado Mountains Historic Context (Mehls 1984). The following information is a synthesis of these resources.

The Historic Period covers the period from approximately A.D. 1840-1969. In 1803, the United States obtained the Louisiana Purchase, including the territory that is now Colorado, and sent expeditions westward to document this acquisition. It was during this timeframe that the “contact-traditional cultures” were building economic relationships with the Spanish and other European traders. The years between 1820 and 1860 were characterized by more intensive migrations of American settlers westward as a result of the Louisiana Purchase. These migrations led to heightened competition for resources and, in turn, more cross-cultural conflicts.

By this time, the fur trade was dwindling in importance, and gold was discovered in Colorado in 1859, starting the Colorado Gold Rush (Smith 2009). Although the gold rush did not greatly affect the area now known as Rocky Mountain National Park, it did serve to move settlers closer to the area, prompting establishment by Congress of the Colorado Territory in 1861. Historic themes in the study area are related to Euro-American exploration and settlement, water conveyance, and transportation.

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Euro-American Exploration, Settlement, and Tourism A comprehensive account of exploration and settlement of the Park can be found in The

History of Rocky Mountain National Park (Butler 2005). Early exploration of the Estes Park area was first described by Rufus B. Sage (Sage 1846) and later interpreted by historians (Black 1969; Carothers 1951; Hafen and Hafen 1965). Originally from Middletown, Connecticut, Sage traveled throughout the west from 1841 to 1844; in 1842 he explored North and Middle Parks and in 1843 explored the area now known as Rocky Mountain National Park. Although it is likely that early trappers were in the area when Sage explored the region, his accounts are the earliest written evidence of exploration, which described the Big Thompson River including Estes Park and Moraine Park, St. Vrain Creek, Wind River Pass, and Allenspark (Buchholtz 1983; Butler 2005). Following Sage’s explorations, Joel Estes was the first to settle on the east side of the Divide in 1860 when he built a cabin for his family along Fish Creek and established a cattle ranch; the family occupied the ranch until 1866. In the 1870’s other settlers came to the area and the town of Estes Park was established, but little is known about these other early settlers. The well-known settlers include Abner Sprague, (settled in Moraine Park in 1874), John Hupp (settled in Upper Beaver Meadows in 1875), and Guy Hollowell (settled in Hollowell Park in 1887). In 1898 the William Barns Ranch, later known as the Hondius Ranch, was established in Upper Beaver Meadows (Atkins 1964; Buchholtz 1983; Carothers 1951).

A quickly changing economy during the late 1800s and early 1900s lead to the development of recreation and tourism in the Estes Park area when early pioneer settlement transitioned from a subsistence and ranching-based economy to a tourism-based economy. The abundance of game and vast wilderness that first attracted settlers to the area was eagerly acknowledged by visitors, and early entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to provide visitor accommodations. Established and settled by the mid-1870s, the town of Estes Park had changed by the late 1880s from a remote ranching community to a publicized resort (Buchholtz 1983;

Frank 2013). Early pioneer economic ventures (hunting, ranching, and mining) became supplemented by tourism and outdoor recreation, which soon dominated the economy (Frank 2013). The economic transition lead to the development of several guest ranches in the area and an economy to support the ranches.

While several of the first ranches transitioned into guest ranches, Hondius Ranch continued as a traditional ranching outfit raising cattle, but intensified hay farming operations to supply the new tourism economy. Hondius Ranch, originally known as Barns Ranch, was established in Upper Beaver Meadows in 1898 by the prominent early settler Pieter Hondius (Atkins 1964; Buchholtz 1983; Carothers 1951). In ca. 1900 Mr. Hondius built a ranch house, barn, and corral (5LR03913) at the west end of Upper Beaver Meadows. Mr. Hondius purchased approximately 2,000 acres of land in Beaver Meadows between 1898 and 1915, which was originally owned by William Barns, James J. Osborn, and John Hupp. The ranch raised cattle and farmed hay that was sold to other settlers and lodges in the area including the Elkhorn Lodge (5LR00476) located in Estes Park along the Fall River (Atkins 1964; Butler 2005).

Originally from Holland, Pieter Hondius was born on December 6, 1864 and immigrated to the United States in 1896. In 1904, Mr. Hondius married Eleanor Estes James and had a son named Peter Jr. His brother Jan Hondius lived in Bilthoven Holland and he had a cousin Justus Hondius who lived in Los Angeles. He was also a descendent from a long line of notable ancestors; some were old world map makers and navigators as early as the fifteenth century. On

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February 17, 1934, Mr. Hondius died from pneumonia in Palm Springs where he was spending the winter with his wife and son (Estes Park Trail 1934).

In 1906 Mr. Hondius obtained 40 acres of land through a cash sale entry patent near Fall River (NE ¼, NE ¼ of Section 17, Township 5 North, Range 73 West), which includes the east portion of Hondius Park and the location of the Fall River Entrance Historic District (5LR01184). Land patents (GLO Document No. 17436) were issued to both Pieter Hondius (identified as Peter Hondius on the land patent) and Pelir Hondins (BLM 1906) for this area.

This area encompasses the majority of the survey area and Mr. Hondius is associated with the first Euro-American ownership, but is not associated with the Fall River Entrance Historic District (5LR01184). Mr. Hondius also obtained additional land in Section 17 including Hondius Park and the area that would become Aspenglen Campground (SE ¼ of NE ¼ and N ½ of SE ¼, Section 17). All of Mr. Hondius land, including the 2,000 acres in Beaver Meadows, was sold to the NPS in 1931 (Atkins 1993; Musselman 1971: Chapter XII). However, land patent records for Hondius’s additional land acquisitions in Section 17 are not represented in GLO records (BLM 2021).

Pieter Hondius was known for his development of water diversions and pipeline systems at Beaver Meadows and Fall River. In 1906, he constructed the Hondius-Beaver Water System, which provided irrigation to his fields and conveyed water from Beaver Meadows to the High Drive subdivision. In ca. 1908 Mr. Hondius and F.L. Clerc constructed the Hondius-Cascade Pipeline, situated slightly south and southwest of Hondius Park along Fall River (Atkins 1964;

Butler 2005).

Mr. Hondius and F.L Clerc, made a significant contribution to water development in the Estes Park area by building the Hondius-Cascade Pipeline that initiates at a diversion structure at Cascade Lake at Fall River. The Hondius-Cascade Pipeline consists of a buried 30-inch-diameter steel pipeline designed to convey water to the Stanley Power Plant/Fall River Hydroelectric Plant (5LR478) located downstream near the edge of Fall River. In1908 water rights were sold to Freelan Oscar Stanley (Kilsdonk 1997). This pipeline is still extant and one previously recorded segment (5LR14436.1) is located 0.25 mile to the southwest of the survey area along the bank of Fall River. The pipeline segment is exposed in several areas along the northeast bank of Fall River between Cascade Lake and Aspenglen Campground Road (5LR14435.1) (Briggs 2019). The location of this buried pipeline between Aspenglen Campground Road and the power plant is unknown, but it is assumed to generally follow Fall River based on the recorded alignment of segment 5LR14435.1, location of the power plant downstream near the river edge, and the probable mapped location (but not labeled) on the 1928 dependent resurvey plat (SE ¼ of the NE¼, Section 17) (BLM 1928). The 1928 plat shows the Stanley Power Plant/Fall River Hydroelectric Plant pipeline paralleling Fall River outside the current survey area (Figure 4). An isolated structure is also mapped on the 1928 plat to the west of Mr. Hondius and Mr. Hondins land patent in the NW ¼ of the NE ¼ of Section 17. A land patent was issued for this area in 1881 to Lyman White for the W ½ of the NE ¼ of Section 17 (BLM 1881) (Figure 4). However, it is unlikely that this building is extant or any evidence remains because it was not found during EROs 2018 survey of the area (Briggs 2019). There are no other structures, buildings, or sites in Section 17 known to be associated with Mr. Hondius.

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The Stanley Power Plant/Fall River Hydroelectric Plant and two associated cottages comprise a noncontiguous area of the Stanley Hotel Historic District (5LR478). The power plant was built between 1907 and 1909 to provide electricity for the Stanley Hotel, built in 1909, and housed a turbine and a 200-kilowatt generator (Buchholtz 1983; Kilsdonk 1997). This noncontiguous area of the district is 600 ft east of the Park boundary, about 3 miles northeast of Estes Park, and 3.5 miles from the Stanley Hotel complex, and situated along the northeast bank of Fall River. Mr. Stanley’s goal was to build the first fully electrified hotel in the nation to “heat, light and cook meals exclusively with electricity” and he envisioned that water development was the essential building component for his hotel (Buchholtz 1983:122; Kilsdonk 1997). Because the plant could produce an abundance of electricity, well surpassing the hotel’s needs, the plant also provided electric power for commercial and residential needs for the town of Estes Park. Power distribution was made possible by organizing the Estes Park Electric, Light and Power Company, incorporated in 1908 by Mr. Stanley and a group of investors. Sometime between 1908 and 1928, the Estes Park Electric, Light and Power Company became the Stanley Power Company (Buchholtz 1983; Kilsdonk 1997). The Stanley Power Company operated the hydroelectric plant until 1928, when water rights and all facilities, including the plant, Cascade diversion dam, and pipeline, were sold to the Public Service Company of Colorado. In 1945, the Public Service Company of Colorado sold all water rights and facilities to the town of Estes Park. However, the original dam and diversion structure were destroyed in 1982 during the Lawn Lake Flood and were rebuilt with concrete in 1988 (Kilsdonk 1997). The concrete diversion supplies water to the original steel pipeline. In 1997, the Park negotiated water rights with the town of Estes Park, and the pipeline is now used to supply water to the Estes Park water treatment plant (Butler 2005).

Figure 4. 1928 GLO dependent resurvey plat of T5N, 75W, 6th PM.

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Transportation Development in Colorado: 1900-1920s Road construction efforts in Colorado prior to the innovation and widespread use of the automobile were focused on wagon roads. Most wagon roads were financed and constructed by individuals with limited aid or oversight from governmental entities. When the Colorado Highway Commission was organized under a federal charter in 1909, which was the predecessor to the Colorado Highway Department (and later the Colorado Department of Transportation), automobile owners in Colorado became active in interstate auto clubs and advocated the construction of state highways and other recreation roads in Colorado. However, by 1920 roads in Colorado were still poorly marked and had rough surfaces. Poor road signage and maintenance was a result of limited funding from inadequate licensing revenues and minimal grants from the federal government, despite the 1916 Public Roads and Federal Highways Acts.

During World War I the federal government provided funding for strategic road development across rural parts of the country, including Colorado. Technological advances in the automobile, improved road construction methods, and an increase in agricultural production in the 1920s resulted in the introduction of the numbered highway system and increased popularity of roadside motor inns, restaurants, and curio shops along newly founded Main Streets along major state and interstate highways (Associated Cultural Resource Experts [ACRE] 2002).

Fall River Road / State Highway 16 / US Highway 34 In Colorado, US 34 is 269 miles long and extends west from the Nebraska state border through Yuma, Weld, Washington, and Morgan Counties and enters the central mountains of Larimer and Grand Counties ending at Granby in Grand County at the junction of US 40. By 1913, the route in Larimer and Grand Counties was established as State Primary Road No. 51; by 1922, when Colorado entered the Federal Highway System, the route was designated State Primary Road No. 46 (5LR09533); and by 1924, the segment from Greeley to Estes Park to Granby was designated as State Highway (SH) 16 on state travel maps. In 1968, US 34 took over the entire length of SH 16 (Mead & Hunt 2016).

Fall River Road (5LR00885), built between 1913 and 1920, comprises a western portion of this route between Estes Park and Granby through the Park. The eastern portion of the road between Estes Park and Fall River Pass was complete by 1917 and a connection to Grand Lake from Fall River Pass (5GA01750) was complete by 1920. Fall River Road was the first automobile access route into the Park, had a 16 percent grade in places, and was the first route to cross the Divide in the Park until Trail Ridge Road (5LR00502) was complete in 1932. The western section of road, west of Fall River Pass, was incorporated into Trail Ridge Road in 1932 and later into US 34 (Colorado State Highway Department 1937; Mead & Hunt 2016; Quinn 1993).

Fall River Road follows the approximate route of a trail historically used for by native people and known by the Arapaho as their ethebaw (“Dog Trail”) because dogs were often used to pull their travois over the pass. Early hunters and trappers improved this route to make it more accessible to horse travel. By the late 1800s access and communication between the two main centers in the area, Estes Park and Grand Lake, remained difficult and could be accomplished only by rough foot or pack trails. In 1910, the old trail over the pass was reconstructed by the United States Forest Service. Local residents first formally discussed the possibility of a road up Fall River to cross the Divide to connect Estes Park with Grand Lake in

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1911. The appropriate route, governing jurisdiction, and funding were debated, and by 1913 the commissioners of Larimer County and the Colorado State Highway Department entered into an agreement to build a road over Fall River Pass to connect the two towns. The route would follow Fall River and the reconstructed old trail for seven miles, and then diverge from the trail to cross Chapin Pass before climbing Fall River Pass. From this point, the road would extend to Poudre Lake at Milner Pass and then south/southwest into the Kawuneeche Valley to follow the North Fork of the Colorado River to Grand Lake. During late summer of 1913, road work began with the labor of convicts from the Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City. Convict workers were quartered in cabins and tents in upper Horseshoe Park. However, work progressed extremely slowly and only one mile of new road was constructed to reach Horseshoe Falls by the end of the 1914 season. Although not much new road was built, in 1914 convict workers completed grading of the first six miles of road extending west of the village of Estes Park, past the future location of the Sunnyside Checking Station, through Hondius Park, and through Horseshoe Park. After the 1914 season, the convicts were replaced by contractors hired by Larimer and Grand Counties (Musselman 1971:Chapter IV; Quinn 1993).

By 1915 at the time of the establishment of Rocky Mountain National Park, the road extended approximately two miles into the park on the east side of the Divide. From Grand Lake, a portion of the Lulu City wagon road was reconstructed reaching about the same distance north of Grand Lake. Park officials encouraged completing the connecting road, but by the end of 1915 the road on the east side of the Divide reached only to Chasm Falls. At this time the road was very narrow, with some reaches only eight or 10 ft wide, was very steep above Chasm Falls, and switchbacks above the falls were very narrow. The lower portion also needed culverts as none were installed during previous work. By 1916, 16.13 miles of road remained to be constructed, three miles of the road built in 1915 needed surface improvements, and in areas the roadbed and stone embankments were washed out from spring thaw. Over the next two years Park administrators had to decide on a route above tree line. A plan was made to cross Chapin Pass at the divide to avoid the high Fall River Pass, but by 1918 it was collectively decided that the higher, more scenic route over Fall River Pass would be the chosen route. However, the increasing cost to build the road delayed construction. Finally, in early September of 1920 the road over Fall River Pass was connected to the road extending from Grand Lake and in late September the road was open to public travel (Quinn 1993).

Although the road was open, it was crudely constructed, not surfaced, steep and narrow, and many motorists had difficulties navigating the steep grades and sharp switchbacks. Park administration soon realized a great need for improvements, which began in 1921 when the second, tenth, and eleventh switchbacks were widened and the road surface was improved.

Between 1921 and 1925, the road required considerable maintenance including widening, repairing washouts at stream crossings, and managing snow removal. In reaction to managing these conditions, in 1925 the Park surveyed a possible reroute of the section of road between Fall River Pass and Milner Pass, and southward to Grand Lake. Following the completion of the survey, the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) took over major road construction in the national parks and in 1927 the BPR conducted their own survey. The BPR survey recommended constructing a new road over Trail Ridge rather than reconstructing Fall River Road. The NPS accepted BPR’s recommendation and funds were allocated from the 1927 road budget to start the project. Fall River Road was planned to be abandoned after the new road was constructed. This plan was heavily debated and a compromise was reached to retain the eastern section of road, Page | 10 For Official Use Only: Disclosure of site locations prohibited (43 CFR 7.18) between Fall River Pass and Horseshoe Park, as a one-way, uphill route. The Kawuneeche Valley segment remained in use until the mid-1930s when it was realigned and the central section, from Fall River Pass to Phantom Valley Ranch was abandoned. The major portions of the new Trail Ridge Road were completed between 1929 and 1932 (Quinn 1993).

In 1934, the lower two miles of Fall River Road between the 1930 revised park boundary (USGS 1919c), and the river crossing at Horseshoe Park were reconstructed (Steely and Huey 2021). New construction followed the same approximate route, but avoided steep grades, eliminated sharp curves, and two miles of new road was built along Bighorn Ranger Station and the Fall River Entrance Station in Hondius Park. Currently, the road remains in the same alignment despite alterations made during Mission 66-era improvements (Higgins and Heavrin 2017; Quinn 1993). A segment of Fall River Road/US 34 recorded during the current survey (5LR13378.8) consists of an abandoned alignment of the original road located adjacent to the southwest of the current alignment of Fall River Road/US 34 at the Fall River Entrance Historic District. Segment 5LR13378.8 is a portion of the original alignment of the road before it was realigned in 1934. Furthermore, the alignment at segment 5LR13378.8 is mapped on historic United States Geological Survey (USGS) maps of the Estes Park area (USGS 1915a, 1915b, 1919a, 1919b, 1919c, 1919d, 1919e, 1919f) (Figure 5). The road is also mapped on the 1928 dependent resurvey of the area (BLM 1928).

Figure 5. Segment 5LR13378.8 depicted on the 1915 Longs Peak quadrangle (USGS 1915a).

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Fall River Entrance Historic District Several entrance station developments occurred along Fall River Road between 1917 and

1934 as a result of Park boundary revisions and reconstruction episodes (Figure 6). The Sunnyside checking station (1920-1926), once located just west of the Village of Estes Park, was the first entrance station established by the Park. A 1926 Park boundary revision resulted in a new location for the entrance station at Horseshoe Park (1927-1934). Following a 1930 boundary revision, the entrance station was moved to Hondius Park (1934-present) slightly east of the Bighorn Ranger Station, which was built between 1933 and 1936. A rustic-style timber gateway entrance structure extending between two cabins originally built at Sunnyside was relocated to each subsequent entrance station location (Steely and Huey 2021). Redevelopment of the Fall River Entrance Station at Hondius Park during the Mission 66 program (1960-1961) resulted in the current design of the entrance station and infrastructure for both the entrance station and the Bighorn Ranger Station. The Bighorn Ranger Station, changes made to the Fall River Entrance Station in 1948, and redevelopment of the entrance station during the Mission 66 Era, comprise the Fall River Entrance Historic District (5LR01184.1-5LR01184.3) (Higgins and Heavrin 2017).

Revisions of the eastern Park boundary also resulted in the development of other east entrance stations (Figure 6). Boundary revisions of 1930 resulted in moving the first High Drive Entrance Station at Deer Ridge (1926-1932) to a location near the current Beaver Meadows Entrance Station (1932-1960). The first entrance station located within the Big Thompson watershed was the Bear Lake Checking Station located near Glacier Basin Campground (1926-

ca. 1932). Following the 1930 boundary revision, Bear Lake Checking Station was replaced by the Thompson River Entrance Station (1932-1960) established along SH 66 approximately 0.6 mile southeast of Moraine Park (Steely and Huey 2021). An in-depth discussion of other east entrance stations can be found in Historic Context: Fall River Entrance, Rocky Mountain National Park, 1921–1960 and Review of Other East-Park Entrances, 1921–1960 (Steely and Huey 2021).

In 1920, the Sunnyside Checking Station was the first Park entrance station located along Fall River Road at the 1917 revised Park boundary. The station was located below Castle Mountain, approximately 1.75 miles west/northwest of the village of Estes Park, and situated at a narrow point in the road. Built between a rocky mountainside to the north and a steep slope above Fall River on the south, the station was strategically positioned to be unavoidable to allow the Park to control access. Designed by Park Ranger Dean Babcock, the entrance station consisted of two log cabins connected by a gabled log portal over the road and was known as the “Fall River Gateway.” The south cabin was the “Keepers Lodge” with connected public toilet stalls along the west side and the north cabin was an office to serve visitors. Each cabin was 16 ft square and had Dutch-gable roofs extending below the portal roof to function as shelters. In 1921, staffing needs required the addition of one log room on the north side of the north cabin, which expanded its footprint to approximately 16 ft by 20 ft (Musselman 1971:Chapter XII;

ROMO Archives; Steely and Huey 2021; USGS 1919a).

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Figure 6. Historic east entrance stations (adapted from Steely and Huey 2021).

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In 1926 the Park boundary was moved west four miles along Fall River to allow for commercial development along the river corridor to accommodate visitors prior to their entry into the Park, thus requiring the 1920 Sunnyside Checking Station to be moved. Along Fall River, the new boundary was designated at the west section line of Section 17, T5N, R73W in Horseshoe Park (USGS 1919b). Sunnyside Checking Station was dismantled in September 1926. Cabins were separated from the log portal and all structural elements were relocated to a strategic traffic control point, chosen by Superintendent Roger W. Toll. The new location was a small barren hill with panoramic views located one mile west of the new boundary in Horseshoe Park near the intersection of Fall River Road and High Drive, and just west of Sheep Lakes (Figure 6, above). According to Toll’s 1927 Annual Report, the 1920 entrance structure was reconstructed at Horseshoe Park, but Toll did not provide details of reconstruction efforts or exact dates in either his annual report or any of his 1927 monthly reports (SMR 1926, 1927; SAR 1927; Steely and Huey 2021).

In 1930, the Park boundary was revised and moved east along Fall River to the east section line of Section 17, T5N, R73W (USGS 1919c) (Figure 6, above). The new boundary at Fall River Road was designated at the east end of Hondius Park on land owned by Pieter Hondius, who sold the land to the Park in 1931 (Atkins 1993; Higgins and Heavrin 2017;

Musselman 1971: Chapter XII). It was necessary to move the 1920 entrance station reconstructed at Horseshoe Park to the new boundary, but financial constraints of the Great Depression delayed this effort. Finally, in 1934 the Park used the Civil Works Administration (CWA) program to hire local workers to disassemble the 1920 entrance structure and reassemble it at the east end of Hondius Park, slightly west of the new boundary and slightly east of the Bighorn Ranger Station, and created the Fall River Entrance at Hondius Park just before the CWA program ended in March 1934 (SMR 1934).

The Bighorn Ranger Station area includes the ranger station (Building 44), garage and woodshed (Building 169), and barn and stable (Building 168). Bighorn Ranger Station was designed in NPS Rustic Style under the supervision of Architect Edward A. Nickel of the Branch of Plans and Design, Western Division and was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

The CCC also built the infrastructure for the Bighorn Ranger Station and Fall River Entrance including water and wastewater systems, power lines, and a 0.25 mile long access road for the Bighorn Ranger Station area. Additional CCC improvements at the entrance included two miles of realigned roadway for Fall River Road, a turnout lane lined with a stone curb, planting of shrubs and trees around the structure, and a small parking area with pedestrian trails. Civilian Conservation Corps workers also helped operate the station until the program ended in 1942 (Higgins and Heavrin 2017).

Following New Deal Era improvements, the Fall River Entrance remained stable through the late 1940s. In reaction to increased visitation after World War II, NPS landscape architects designed changes to the road and station to accommodate this increase. Plans were made in March 1948 to revise the station by widening the road and removing the south cabin and log portal (Higgins and Heavrin 2017). In April 1948 the Park moved the south cabin approximately 10 miles to the Thompson River Entrance Station and the log portal was discarded. Without being confined by the narrow log portal between the cabins, a third lane was added on the south.

The north cabin was not moved or altered and remained a shelter for the entrance station (Steely and Huey 2021).

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All buildings at the Bighorn Ranger Station and the entrance station were fully serviced by a water and wastewater system. The original water system was built in 1935 for domestic and recreational use and fire prevention. The head of the pipeline is located in Bighorn Creek in the northeast quarter of Section 17, T5N, R73W (Boulder County District Court 1939; DWR 2020;

Higgins and Heavrin 2017). The pipeline trends south-southeast along the northeast bank of Bighorn Creek. Starting at a diversion dam on Bighorn Creek, water was pumped approximately 3,000 ft to the Bighorn Ranger Station and the entrance station. To equalize the supply and to provide storage for fire fighting, a 6,000-gallon storage reservoir was built to the north of the Bighorn Ranger Station complex. Wastewater from the Bighorn Ranger Station and the checking station was piped to a temporary cesspool; a septic tank was proposed at the time to replace the cesspool (Higgins and Heavrin 2017). During the Mission 66 Era redevelopment of the Fall River Entrance Historic District, the water system was replaced by a system of greater capacity.

Visitation at the Park accelerated exponentially following World War II, and by 1956 the NPS Landscape Architectural Branch proposed plans for a new entrance to accommodate this increase of visitors. These plans became the first priority of changes to be initiated under the Mission 66 program at the Park (Higgins and Heavrin 2017). In the 1950s NPS facilities across the nation became outdated and Congress implemented the Mission 66 program. The program’s goal was to make national parks accessible and more comfortable to the ever-increasing number of visitors and largely involved updating worn out facilities. Four historic contexts of Mission 66 cultural resources include pre–Mission 66 Era (1945-1955), Mission 66 Program (1956- 1966), Parkscape USA Program (1967-1972), and National Park Service Nation-wide (Carr et al.

2015).

The design of the new entrance included three entrance lanes separated by a median to form one exit lane; the entrance station was to be moved approximately 300 ft to the southeast;

additional parking was proposed near the old entrance station location; and additional residences and dormitories were proposed for the Bighorn Ranger Station area. By 1960, the roadwork was complete, which avoided the 1920 north cabin and the 1934 CCC pullout lane with stone curbing. Design plans implemented during Fiscal Year (FY) 1961 under the Mission 66 Program included razing the north cabin and box kiosk and the construction of a new checking station (Building 353) on the northeast side of the road, two portable kiosks (Buildings 670 and

671) for the incoming lanes, and one permanent kiosk built in the median to service the outgoing lane (Building 669). After construction of the new entrance station buildings, the 1920 north log cabin was left in place temporarily and used for an information station for visitors. However, the 1920 cabin was eliminated form Park plans and razed in March of 1961, but the CCC curbing and pullout are still extant. Proposed new housing would have required razing the CCC Era barn (Building 168) and expansion of the garage and woodshed (Building 169); however, this proposed work was never accomplished and dropped from the FY 1963 budget. Upgrading the Fall River Entrance water and wastewater system occurred concurrently with the redevelopment of the entrance station. The upgrade included an infiltration gallery that replaced the original diversion dam, a 60,000 gallon buried concrete storage reservoir, a chlorinator house, water supply lines, sewer lines, a septic tank, a buried sand filter, and a sewage chlorinator house.

(Higgins and Heavrin 2017).

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The current survey documented the aboveground manifestations of the Mission 66 Era redevelopment of the Fall River Entrance water and wastewater system (5LR14440). The infiltration gallery at Bighorn Creek replaced the original diversion dam and was recorded as Feature (F) 1. The 60,000 gallon underground water tank was documented as F2, which also includes a chlorinator house built adjacent to the water tank. The water supply lines and sewer lines are represented by several water valve access points and/or manholes documented during the survey. Three ceramic pipes representing the sand filter were exposed during the monitoring of geotechnical excavations (Appendix B) in the vicinity of a septic tank (F18). A documented road (5LR14434) consists of an extension of the Bighorn Ranger Station access road that continues northwest to access the water system. The sewage chlorinator house was not identified.

PREVIOUS WORK

Prior to fieldwork, Metcalf requested a formal files search from the Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP) consisting of the survey area plus a one-mile buffer and included previously recorded cultural resources and previous cultural resource inventories. In addition, an in-house files search at the Park was conducted July 7, 2020. The files search included a one-mile buffer surrounding the survey area to account for all previously recorded sites, of which many are mapped by only a single point rather than a polygon site boundary and the buffer was necessary to verify site locations with respect to the survey area.

Previous cultural resource inventories and documented…