Notchcode specializes in HABS/HAER/HALS compliant large- and medium-format photographic documentation of historic structures and sites throughout the American West. We cut our teeth on homesteads and ranches in Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain National Parks (archived at the Library of Congress), and have continued to document distinctive places over the last two decades. Here are some of the projects we've done:
Saints John Mine complex
This group of buildings near the town of Montezuma in Summit County, Colorado is home to the first silver mill in the state. The site includes a large milling building, which was added onto over several decades, as well as a unique chimney structure halfway up a hill from the main mill; and several mine-related outbuildings. Smaller artifacts such as shaker tables (seen in the detail below) abound. The main mill complex was restored to wetland due to the severely degraded condition of the structures, and to help filter acid mine drainage from the site.
All images were made to HABS/HAER/HALS standards using a 5x7-inch field camera, black and white film, and traditional photographic processes. All film was processed and prints made in-house.
Dillon Placer Mine, Breckenridge, Colorado
Notchcode was tasked with documenting notable features and artifacts within an historic hydraulic mining site north of the town of Breckenridge, Colorado, in advance of CO-9's rerouting through the area. The site is notable for the large waste piles of rocks left over from the water-intensive gold mining practice known as placer mining. Some smaller artifacts were also found. Ditches to divert water that supplied the hydraulic pumps were still in place, as well as large hills of large- and medium-sized rocks that were cast aside from the process.
Images were made to Colorado State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Level II standards using a medium-format camera and film. All images were processed and printed in-house. As with all SHPO and HABS-quality projects, thorough documentation of all imagery was also captured.
UTE ULAY MINE AND MILL LOWER COMPLEX
The lower end of the Ute Ulay Mine and Mill complex was being safeguarded to protect the nearby town of Lake City, Colorado; many of the surface features and structures were to be removed in the process, and Notchcode was retained by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Environmental Protection Agency to document the site prior to safeguarding. Notable features included a flue that carried mine slurry to settling ponds, a trestle and mill complex, and various other structures including a cabin. The project was documented to HABS/HAER/HALS standards, even though SHPO called for only Level II documentation, in the event that a National Historic Landmark application would be pursued in the future.
