B12_Miscellanious_Correspondence_Questions_and_Answers_WHIS_Abandoned_Mine_REVISED_0002.pdf

DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR ABANDONED MINE SITES

Questions and Answers

Solicitation #140P8424Q0086

1. 2021-WHIS-46, originally documented 6/17/2021

Dimensions: a. Length: 409 meters (N/S) x b. Width: 185 meters (E/W)

Road Access to site.

The site is a historic mine and extensive refuse scatter. The artifacts date from approximately 1940s-

1960s, although the refuse scatters may post-date the mine features. The site consists of 17 features, including 2 historic refuse deposits, 1 mining cut, 3 prospect pits, 1 prospect pit/possible collapsed adit)

1 collapsed incline shaft, 2 deep linear trenches, and 6 historic roads.

2. 2021-WHIS-178, originally documented 8/11/2021

Dimensions: a. Length: 499 meters (N/S) x b. Width: 114 meters (E/W)

Road Access to Area, NPS Trail Access to Site

The site comprises seven mining features, tentatively dated to 1917-1929 based upon association with a neighboring site. Features consist of a wing dam (feature 1); a series of large tailings piles (feature 2); a ditch (feature 3); a mining cut (feature 4); three prospect pits (features 5 and 7); and an inclined prospect shaft (feature 6). Features are located within Salt Creek river bed, on the steep slopes both to the north and south of the river bed and on the ridgetop on the north side. The area within the river bed is nearly level and very rocky. The slopes surrounding the site are extremely steep, frequently between 25 and 30 degrees, and contain several drainages and rock outcrops throughout. The northern ridgetop is nearly level. Vegetation consists primarily of grasses, poison oak, toyon, and oak trees.

3. 2021-WHIS-207, originally documented 9/2/2021

Dimensions: a. Length: 74 meters (N/S) x b. Width: 31 meters (E/W)

Access via 800-meter ridgeline hike from road along fuel break, 170ft off the ridge

The site consists of three features associated with mining activity of unknown age. Features 1 is a large prospect pit. Feature 2 consists of a substantial cut into bedrock on the slope of a hill. The north-northeast side of this feature is potentially a collapsed adit. There is a cut measuring 68" wide and 66" from the top of the cut to an area of collapsing rock and soil that may obscure an adit opening. Feature 3 is an adit excavated into a natural slope measuring at least 11' long with an opening measuring 42" wide and 30" high. Features 1 and 3 have been moderately impacted by vegetation and erosion but remain essentially intact. However, Feature 2 has been so greatly impacted by erosion that its function remains unclear.

4. 2021-WHIS-275, originally documented 10/12/2021

Dimensions: a. Length: 179 meters (N/S) x b. Width: 100 meters (E/W)

Access is 550 meters down a ridgeline from nearest Access Road, near lakeshore

The site consists of nine mining features with artifacts that dates between 1935 and c.1970s located on an extremely steep hillside. Features are comprised of one adit (feature 2), one inclined shaft (feature 8), one mining cut (feature 3), one deep pit with a trench emanating from it (feature 4), and four prospect pits (features 1, 5, 6, and 7). The adit and shaft features are in excellent condition, showing no signs of collapse and clearly extending extremely deep. Despite this, relatively few artifacts were found on the site, including a pickaxe or hammer head within the adit; a metal pipe fragment that was cut and refashioned into an auger tool, found next to feature 4; miscellaneous metal strapping; a single piece of aqua window glass; and a small cache of four church-key-opened cans, found on the hilltop overlooking the site. The eight features of the site are located on an extremely steep east-facing slope of approximately 35-40°, although the slope surrounding feature 6 is slightly gentler at approximately 20°.

Vegetation consists of grasses, toyon, yerba santa, and oak and pine snags. Ground visibility was low, generally less than 10%. Soils are rocky with abundant quartz and bedrock cobbles.

5. P45-005049, originally documented 5/4/2016

The site area measures 80 ft. (N/S) by 75 ft. (E/W).

Road Access to Site

This historic-era resource consists of four mine cuts and one tailings pile above a draw. They appear to represent explorations rather than collapsed adit features. Feature A is a mine cut, about 33 ft. long

(N/S) by 9 ft. (E/W) by 4-5 ft. deep. Quartz cobbles are in the cut and waste rock is around it. Feature B is a mine cut, 15 ft. (E/W) by 10 ft. (N/S) by 4 ft. deep. Amorphous tailings (Feature E) are just southeast, above the draw. Feature C is a mine cut, 68 in. wide (NE/SW) by 101 in. long (NW/SE) and 27 in. deep.

Feature D is a prospect pit 7 ft. in diameter by 18 in. deep with waste rock downslope. Additional features may be present in dense vegetation which consists of grey pine, live oak, manzanita, toyon, and poison oak. The draw below the site may have been mined, but dense vegetation precluded survey of that area. Historical GLO plat maps (1866 and 1870), USGS maps (1944 and 1948 French Gulch 15-minute quads) and Caltrans As-Built plans (1930, 1946, 1947, 1949 and 1959) do not identify mining activity at the site location.

6. P45-005102, Whiskey Creek Group Mines, originally documented 6/20/2016

Dimensions: a. Length: 345 ft. (NE /SW) × b. Width: 120 ft. (NW/SE): c. Area: 1 acre

Road Access to Site with 100m hike upslope to site features

This resource consists of a historic-era mining site that includes a vertical mine shaft and a small tailing pile with additional tailings cast downslope. The shaft is approximately 6 feet by 6 feet wide. While the depth of the shaft was not determined, a small stone tossed into the shaft took approximately 1 second before landing, it then rolled for an additional 1 second. It is estimated that the shaft may be up to 40 vertical feet before turning to an angle. The shaft is located at the western edge of the Whiskey Creek

Group, a historic mining complex which operated during the copper smelting era from 1896 to 1914. No other cultural constituents were identified with the exception of a broken riveted metal barrel hoop located on the tailings pile.

7. P45-005511, originally documented 9/23/2021

Length: 250 meters (N/S) x b. Width: 55 meters (E/W)

Road Access to Site

A multi-component site comprising 8 features related to historic mining and infrastructure dating to 1915 through the 1940 and a prehistoric component related to lithic reduction. Features consist of an adit (feature 1), a very large pit (feature 2) with a pipe leading into it from a spring box, Feature 7, of site CA-SHA-4365H, 2 other prospect pits (feature 4 & 7) an artifact concentration containing both historic and prehistoric artifacts (feature 3), a prospect pit (feature 4), a road with a rock retaining wall (feature 5), and a trench (feature 6), and a ditch paralleling the PG&E access road with a pipe paralleling it and leading away from the adit (feature 1). Most of the site is located on extremely steep terrain below a ridgeline, with several natural drainages throughout. The southern boundary of the site is located adjacent to the modern powerlines. The artifact concentration is situated on a natural flat beside a drainage. While the vast majority of artifacts are historic, comprising ceramics, glass, and metal, a total of 13 prehistoric artifacts were found, including 11 flakes, 1 core fragment or biface preform, and 1 possibly edge-modified flake. At the time of recording, this area had recently received a high intensity burn during the House Fire

(August 2021), meaning that the ground was almost entirely denuded of vegetation with the exception of the area directly around the adit, which contained standing water and had ground cover of grasses and blackberry. Soil was reddish brown silt with large amounts of gravels. At present, a deposit of ash covers some of the soil, making it somewhat difficult to locate the prehistoric artifacts.

8. CA-SHA-3790H/3791H, Mascot Mine and/or Pugh & Linsey

Dimensions: a. Length: (420’) × b. Width: (515’)

Road Access along ridge above site with steep 500ft hike. Site is in steep terrain along south facing slope.

Previous visits to CA-SHA-3790 and -3791 in 2002 recorded two separate sites. During Harris

Environmental Group’s visit in 2016, the sites were combined, due to the proximity of new features added that reduced the distance between the two. As a result of the combination, the features were re-numbered and plotted on a new site map. In total, there are now 9 features, detailed on the Archaeology form. The site is a mining site with three shafts and prospect pits and trenches. A road leads to and from the site. The road is approximately 1.5 meters wide and 600 meters long and has occasional rock support walls. The site is within the steep slopes of a seasonal drainage. The drainage has been rerouted slightly due to a large tailings pile south of the adits.

9. WHIS 22-002, originally documented 5/12/2022

Dimensions: a. Length: 280ft x b. Width: 200ft

Half Mile-to-Mile Hike in or Boat in Access only

Site consist of an abandoned mine with four features including an adit at lake level and submerged during the summer, a vertical shaft, and two prospect pits. Site is situated on a low natural outcropping along Whiskeytown Lake.

10. CA-SHA-3275H, Sunshine Mine, originally documented 1/22/01 with two updates.

Length 330 ft. (North/South) x Width 580 ft. (East/West)

Short hike from main road along lake.

The remains of the Sunshine Mine which operated from 1941 to 1975. The site covers a large area on both sides of the drainage with features terraced on the slopes. Sixteen features are noted and include a large concrete structure, tailings, roads, adits, concrete foundations, wooden beam structures, and scattered artifacts. Vegetation, particularly manzanita, is very dense over much of the site.

11. CA-SHA-3276H, Elizabeth Con Mine, originally documented 10/31/2000

Length: 1800ft x 350 ft (8.8 acres)

Road Access to Site

A complex of mining pits and adits with roads located on a steep south-facing slope of South Fork

Mountain.

12. CA-SHA-3792H, Pugh & Menzell Mine and Mill or Blackstone Mine, original documented

11/12/2002

Length: 413ft x Width: 416ft (3 acres)

Trail access through site, ½ mile from parking area The site is a historic mining area. It consists of trenches, pits, roads, terraces, and tailing piles. The resource is marked by extensive mining scars located in an area of widespread quartz bedrock. The scars appear to be evidence of “pocket mining”—removing the best pockets of quartz.

13. CA-SHA-4364H, Mascott or Gold Cup Mine, originally documented 2/14/2006

Dimensions: a. Length: (At longest and widest points) 480 feet × b. Width: 390 feet.

Difficult, historic, potentially abandoned road access, likely in use by public.

This site consists of a small mining operation, and the machinery and domestic trash associated with

it. The industrial features include an adit, a large tailings pile, some small ditches, an access road, a cast iron pipe, a prospect pit, and a concrete platform. The machinery that was bolted to the platform has been removed, but its placement above the drainage indicates that it was most likely used to hoist materials up from or down to the drainage, or possibly across to the mine entrance.

The access road, which ties the site to WHIS-2006-04, runs along the western side of the site. There are also several distinct trash scatters, some of which are temporally differentiated. Most of the trash scatters contain domestic trash, such as food and beverage cans, beverage and medicine bottles, glassware, and flatware, but some also contain trash for the mining infrastructure, such as pipes, sheet metal, and fuel cans. All features will be discussed in more detail on the Archaeological Site

Record. The site boundary was determined by the density of the trash scatters and the placement of the features. There is a very small, sparse density of nondiagnostic artifacts outside the site boundary on the map. There is also some evidence of modern (less than 25 years old) presence at the site due to the easy access by a road often used for recreational ATVs, but the site does not seem to have been adversely affected by this activity. Most of these modern artifacts are mixed with the historic artifacts in feature 4.

14. WHIS 19-001, documented 8/10/21

Dimensions: a. Length: 250 meters (N/S) x b. Width: 76 meters (E/W)

Access via Trail, within half mile of road.

The site consists of mining and habitation features located in the gentle hills above and on a flat bench beside intermittent creeks and drainages. A total of three features were identified: an excavated mine feature comprising a shaft, excavated channel, and small leveled area with scrap metal and wire nails (feature 1); a building foundation consisting of a rock wall and earthen berm

(feature 2); and a shallow, narrow ditch near the modern Buck Hollow Trail (feature 3). Vegetation consists primarily of grasses, poison oak, live and black oak, and pine trees. Ground visibility was estimated at less than 20%. Soils are grayish brown fine silt with angular to subangular pebbles and cobbles, including quartz.

15. WHIS-2011-01, re-recorded 9/20/21

Dimensions: a. Length: 45 meters (N/S) x b. Width: 50 meters (E/W)

Access via Trail

The site consists of two mining features located along Mule Mountain Loop Trail, approximately 55 m north of the park boundary. Features comprise a mine shaft (feature 1) and an excavated mining feature (feature 2). The mine shaft is located on extremely steep slope above the trail, inclined up to

45° with a southwestern aspect. A rocky outcrop is present to the southeast of this feature. Feature

2 is located adjacent to the trail and is at the base of the slope. In 2011, Willis noted the presence of a shallow prospect pit measuring "approximately 3 feet by 5 feet and about 1 to 2 feet deep" at this site. However, this feature could not be located during this recording. Ground visibility at this location was high, estimated at 50-70%. Vegetation includes poison oak, live oak, manzanita, and thistle. Soil is grayish-brown, comprised largely of decayed bedrock and sand. A drainage is located on the opposite side of the trail from feature 2.

Additional Questions

1. The SOW states the Contractor will evaluate the National Register of Historic Places eligibility for each site based on the National Register Criteria, using the NPS Standard National Register Form 10-900. InContext believes the intent of this statement is that Bulletin 15 and the Nomination Form will serve as a guide for eligibility evaluation, but actual Nomination forms will only be completed for those sites that the NPS determines eligible, and that DOE would be initially based on the DPR forms and report. Please confirm InContext’s understanding.

Answer: The intent is for the contractor to submit a standard document format for each site evaluated. The NR Form 10-900 represents a standard format that is acceptable to the SHPO for review/concurrence that, if a site is eligible, provides the next logical step for the park to nominate the site to the NRHP. If a site is not eligible, the documentation provided in the NR Form 10-900 is useful for park managers to continue to manage the site in perpetuity as is our mission. However, the NPS may accept completed DPRs or other industry standard formats that adequately document the DOE under the NR Criteria.

2. The SOW states that archaeological site testing or other subsurface analysis is not required. InContext believes that all sites can be evaluated for eligibility resulting in a DOE, but that the same level of data appropriate for a DOE (with no empirical physical archaeologically tested data) may not be enough for the SHRC and SHPO to agree with a Nomination. Please confirm that if a Nomination form is completed with no archaeological site testing that the SHRC and/or SHPO rejects, additional work to address the SHRC and/or SHPO concerns regarding archaeological data will not be required under this contract.

Answer: No archaeological testing or subsurface analysis is required under this contract.

The Contractor is required to complete the DOE utilizing industry standards and best management practices for archaeological and historic resource documentation and background research. Submission of the completed DOE to the NPS will be reviewed and accepted if the resulting documentation meets the requirement. Consultation with the SHPO and any subsequent work required is the responsibility of the NPS.