Our Vision #8: Early Art Integration [4/4]

Adit Closure: Aeolian Harps.

In the immediate future, adits at the Ute Ulay site will need to be closed off. Usually this is done by placing grills or gates at the entrance of the adit.

The gate structure could be modified to include aeolian harps that take advantage of the natural movement of air through the mine.  In winter, the warmer air inside the adit rushes upward through the mine shaft; in summer, when the air inside is cooler than the outside air, the flow is reversed.  Aeolian harps are sensitive to the movement of air and produce different sounds depending on the force of the wind. Different tonal ranges are created through the use of differing tensions in the metal construction of the harp.

Aeolian Harps in the Ute Ulay adits

Our Vision #7: Early Art Integration [3/4]

Shaft & Adit Periscope and Diorama

The head shaft and lower adit next to the mill site are connected deep underground.  Before shafts and adits are closed for safety, installation of a periscope or live video feed could draw visitors, generate revenue, and create a sense of the unseen connections underground.

adit periscope

Alternatively, adits could be closed several yards back so that visitors could enter the adit briefly and experience the space of the mine; rock walls could be painted iridescent gold or silver.

Another option might be to have an artist install a peephole tube from outside the adit or shaft into a diorama created just inside the mine. A visitor might see a tiny scene or collection of precious minerals inside. 

Our Vision #6: Early Art Integration [2/4]

Structure Splinting

There are two frame structures on the Ute Ulay site in need of immediate repair, the head frame and the remains of the flume head at the former mill site. Both of these historical fragments communicate how the mine worked at the height of its productive life. 

historic structure splinting

In medical parlance, bone fractures can be held together using internal and external orthopedic metal splints. If we consider the frame structures as skeletons of the industrial past, an aesthetic sculptural component of the remediation process could be making visible methods of repair.

Our Vision #5: Early Art Integration [1/4]

Roof Tarps

Many of the buildings on the town site and mill site are currently degrading due to inadequate roofing, and the community has considered installing tarps as a short-term solution. This presents an opportunity to embellish the site with creative tarps in lieu of plain blue ones.

Protective vinyl tarps could be printed with images or information related to future creative enhancements of the site. For example, one tarp may showcase how the water storage tank may be transformed into a camera obscura. Alternatively, tarps could display historical imagery of miners who once worked at the Ute Ulay. This imagery could be provided by the historical society or created by an arts group or class. After the tarps are used, they can be transformed into tote bags as a fundraiser.

protective and decorative tarps

Our Vision #4: Bioremediation

Bioremediation Research Center

Phyto- or green remediation looks to nature to help clean up contaminated soils. It is cheaper and of lower impact than more traditional remediation methods. In particular, phytoremediation uses plants to draw heavy metals out of the soil.  Although this process has not been scientifically proven to treat lead contamination, there are scientists who think it might be possible.  A cheap and quick-to-construct hoop house on top of a small area of lead-heavy tailings could serve as a research center for phytoremediation techniques.

Our Vision #3: Art and Educational Programming

Art and Educational Programming Precedent

A wide variety of educational opportunities could be offered at the Ute Ulay. Toward this aim, a central building for staff, storage, and small group meetings could be located in a new structure behind the headframe.

The Ute Ulay holds the potential for educational programming for all ages and could include opportunities for school groups, workshops, and university research, as well as the casual tourist. Educational tools include creative signage, historically sensitive design, and tours. Text and images can be embedded throughout the site and sourced from an interdisciplinary array of poetry, diaries, maps, history, and science. 

Our Vision #2: Ground Stabilization and Grading

Ground stabilization and grading is key to both the town site and the mill site. Grading should facilitate walkways to all elements of the site. The layout and overall planning of the site should be considered before work commences. As much as possible the site should be fully accessible.

We strongly recommend that retaining walls are made with gabion walls instead of concrete or engineered block. Gabions should use on-site waste rock material. The rock may be sorted for color and size and placed in layers that reference site geology. An artist could be engaged to design the stratified gabions.

ground stabilization and grading

Thoughtfully expanded parking is a necessary part of a future vision for the Ute Ulay.  There are a few possible parking sites that are minimally visible from the road and will not significantly change a visitor’s first experience of the site.  Relative invisibility, as well as safety and convenience, is a priority.

expanded parking

Our Vision #1: Structure Stabilization

Some of the buildings on the Ute Ulay mine site are in need of immediate protection and stabilization until funding can be secured. The team has identified key buildings and structures in need of care. These were chosen for their importance to the identity of the site, their potential importance to the future of the site, and their structural vulnerability.

The site is split into two areas; above the road (to the north) is the town site, and below the road (to the south) is the mill site.

• At town site: the headframe, boardinghouse, two log cabins, and water tank.
• At the mill site: the mill, assayer’s office, and flume head.

structures in need of immediate care

From left to right, top to bottom:

• Redwood Water Tank
• Eastern Log Cabin
• Western Log Cabin
• Flume Head
• Miner's Boarding House
• L-shaped Cabin
• The Mill
• Assayer's Office
• Headframe

For information on how this fits the overall vision see our collaborative vision and three stage approach.