Our Vision #24: Workshops

The blacksmith’s shop and three attached sheds on the mill site will be designated as multi-functional workshop spaces. These workshops could support artist residencies or local artist commissions, and could serve as breakout educational spaces for school groups, youth groups, summer camps, and temporary research facilities for visiting university programs. Refitted to include workshop benches, lighting, and metal-working equipment, the workshop would be spacious and adaptable to a variety of uses.

blacksmith and other sheds - then and now

 

Our Vision #22: Ice Rink and Expanded Ice Climbing

n - ice!

There are several opportunities for winter recreation on the site of the Ute Ulay.  Capitalizing on the ice climb that is already in use just below the dam on Henson Creek could make it a site of particular interest to experienced climbers.  Another possibility is the installation of a low maintenance ice-skating rink in the tailings pond after remediation.  Winter sports could help to expand the season of the hostel, drawing both locals and non-locals alike.

Our Vision #21: Old Mill Ruins / Gathering Space

The site of the original mill (no longer present) could become an outdoor gathering space, with the foundation creating natural walls around the concrete platform.  A screen could be hung from the hydropower structure, facilitating films, talks, and other events.  

I think they're watching 'Lucky Texan'

Our Vision #20: Tailings Pile

The largest mine tailings pile at the Ute-Ulay mill site has been estimated at 4,000 cubic yards in volume. Nearly a century ago, the pile was considerably larger. The pile may contain metals and other poisons that are lifting into the air, creating dust, and entering storm-water runoff. Sealing the tailings is the only practical way to reduce leaching and the threat of respiratory illness in visitors. We suggest using a powerful polymer emulsion that will retain the form of the pile. The sealant will bond the surface dust and aggregate together and "cement" it to the base to create a hard, dust-free, water-resistant, and resilient surface. This remediation technique will essentially freeze the tailings pile in time, establishing a memorial-like feature, a tribute to the work that took place at the site.

A monument to hard work

Our Vision #9: Hostel & Cabins [1/2]

This is the first element within STAGE II

miner’s boardinghouse

 The miner’s boardinghouse and the two cabins will be a revenue-generating hostel, reflecting the buildings’ original use.  Structures will undergo a deep energy retrofit to preserve historic character while becoming energy efficient.  Thoughtful interior decoration could interpret the site’s history. 

Winterization will be self-contained in the boardinghouse, with cabins for summer use.  The main structure will include private and group bedrooms, hot showers, plumbing, gathering space, and a communal kitchen.  Other amenities could include interpretive resources, educational programming, and a small-scale farming endeavor with chickens or alpacas.  A live-in site caretaker, potentially a VISTA volunteer or artist-in-residence, could handle online reservations, light housekeeping, and greeting duties. 

Marketing would target ice climbers, backpackers, corporate retreats, family reunions, and student groups.  A price spectrum could be implemented to include a special rate for locals and work-trades for low-income visitors; one or both cabins may be renovated into more private, rustic luxury accommodations. 

Creative interior and exterior wallpapering, drawing on the structure’s original wallpaper and Victorian patterns, could emphasize the hidden history of domesticity within the mining landscape.  

hostel or cabin interior