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Collection M 002:
Western Colorado Power Company records:
Record Group 8: photographs
(this is Photo Collection P 009)

Search tip: You can do a keyword search of this file by using the Edit-> Find in Page (Ctrl+F) feature on your Web browser.
See also: Some Western Colorado Power Company photos are housed in the General Photograph Collection, P 001, in Section VIII.
Click here to view digital photos from that section.

Record Group 8: photographs, circa 1890-1950 (bulk 1930s –1940s)
(approx. 30 document cases and two boxes of glass plate negatives)

Many of these photographs were produced by Phillip C. Schools. Most of the photoprints in this collection are well identified and dated.
To listen to a 57-minute oral history interview with Mr. Schools' daughter Case, Phyllis Schools Case, July 26, 1999, visit http://swcenter.fortlewis.edu/MP3/FLCu004547.sideA.mp3 and http://swcenter.fortlewis.edu/MP3/FLCu004547.sideB.mp3

These photographs were organized and re-housed in numbered polypropylene sleeves by Center of Southwest Studies archival volunteer Esther Greenfield, 2007-2008.

Series descriptions

Volume 1 pages inventory

Volume 2 pages inventory

Series of photos (folders are arranged alphabetically by place name, then chronologically within that name)

8.1 Ames Station (new and old), 1891-1950 (the image to the right may be the only surviving photo of the interior of the original power plant at Ames, Colorado, where L. L. Nunn produced the world's first commercial use of alternating current in 1891; click on the picture for a larger image). Ames is in San Miguel County, on the Mount Wilson U.S.G.S. topographic map, elevation 8,720 feet.

8.2 Ames-Rico transmission lines, 1926-1945

8.3 Aspaas Dam, 1925-1943

8.4 Austin-Montrose line and switchback, 1947

8.5 Camp Bird Mine snow slide, February 24, 1936

8.6 Bayfield-Pine River District, 1930

8.7 Cascade Reservoir (Electra Lake) and flume

8.8 Cedaredge, Orchard City, and Austin (Colo.)

8.9 Crested Butte, Taylor Park (Colo.)

8.10 Delta-Austin line, sugar factory and substation

8.11 Elbert Creek (Colo.)

8.12 Durango-Animas Substation

8.13 Durango-Colorado Ute facilities

8.14 Durango District (includes Pine River Power Company)

8.15 Durango-Hesperus-Mancos transmission line


Durango Steam Electric Station (Durango, Colorado, on the Animas River)
circa 1920/1939 Photo by Phillip C. Schools Photonegative # P009816047	March 7, 1949 Photo by Pennington Studio Photoprint # P009816026	May 6, 1948 Henry Gonner burning old records Photoprint # P009816038

8.16 Durango Steam Electric Plant (click on photos on right)

8.17 Durango-Riverview Substation

8.18 Durango street lighting and Christmas displays

8.19 Empire Electric

8.20 Farmington (N.M.) Electric and Power

8.21 Fort Lewis-Red Mesa line

8.22 Hotchkiss, Crawford, and Rogers Mesa

8.23 Howard's Fork Station

8.24 Ilium Flume

8.25 Keystone Hill development (proposed)

8.26 La Plata District

8.27 Lake City District and Creede (includes Santa Marie Reservoir)

8.28 Lime Creek and Purgatory Developments (in La Plata County, on the Electra Lake U.S.G.S. map, elevation circa 9,947 feet)

8.29 Lake Hope Reservoir (in San Miguel County, near Ophir, elevation 12,106 feet)

8.30 Mancos District (includes Mesa Verde National Park, Red Arrow, Hesperus Mining Company, Mancos Reservoir, and La Plata R.E.A.) (includes several photos of arborglyphs)

8.31 McElmo Falls (in Montezuma County, near Cortez; elevation 5886 feet)

8.32 Montrose

8.32 Norwood

8.34 Olathe Station

8.35 Old Timers Association

8.36 Oliver Station

8.37 Ouray Station/ Ouray District

8.38 Paonia Station

8.39 Red Mountain Switching Station

8.40 Rico Station

8.41 Rifle, Glenwood Springs, Marble, and Crystal River

8.42 San Juan Highways

8.43 Savage Basin/ Junction House #5 Station

8.44 Silverton Station/ Silverton Division

8.45 Silver Lake Generating Station

8.46 Smuggler Station

8.47 Tacoma Station

8.48 Telluride Station/ District

8.49 Western Colorado Power Company glass plate negatives, circa early 20th century (stored on edge in one lidded square archival box and one 2.5" wide letter size gray document case; each glass plate is in a Silversafe four-flap enclosure, specifically designed for housing glass plates)

In addition to the loose photos that are in the series that are listed above, the collection includes two albums of early photographs, as described below.

Western Colorado Power Company photograph album Volume 1 contents:

Page	Title	Year	Description
1	Ouray, Colorado	circa 1890	Aerial view, looking south
2	Ouray, Colorado	circa 1900	Entrance to Box Canyon
3	Ophir Pass, Colorado	circa 1890	View from Ophir Side
4	Ophir Pass, Colorado	circa 1911	Ophir Loop, Ophir Pass and Cathedral Spires
5	Ophir, Colorado	circa 1911	Below Lake Hope towards Trout Lake
6	Trout Lake, Colorado	circa 1911	Trout Lake and its residence
7	Trout Lake, Colorado	1913	The high trestle and construction camp of Trout Lake Flume.
8	Trout Lake, Colorado	1911 and 1914	Trout Lake Flume and the Mystic Falls diverting dam.
9	Lake Fork, Colorado	1911	Lake Fork during and after the flood of Oct.
10	Ames Generator	1914	Ames generator corona winding
11	Ames Generator	1914	Details of corona winding job
12	Ames Generator	1914	More details of corona winding job
13	Ames Station	1911	Howards Fork governor of new Ames station
14	Ames Plant	1914	Interior of the Ames plant
15	Ames Station	1911	The Alta line switch grounded by mouse
16	Old Ames Station	1911and1914	The Old Ames switchboard and transformer repairs
17	Old and New Ames Station	1914	The Howard Fork Generator, Ames Station yard and old Ames transformer repair
18	Ames Tailrace and Plant	1911	Ames Tailrace and Plant, Lake Fork and Howard Fork tap
19	Ames, Colorado	1911	The mud slide, Plant, and station foreman’s residence
20	High Trestle and Mount Sunshine	1911	After Ilium Flume High Trestle and Mount Sunshine
21	Ilium Plant	1913-1914	The Ilium and near Ilium Plant
22	Telluride, Colorado	1911, 1913-1914	Ilium, Bilk Creek and Telluride.
23	Telluride, Colorado	1914	Mud slide scenes
24	Telluride, Colorado	1914	Mud slide scenes
25	Telluride, Colorado		Smuggler Mill fire
26	Telluride, Colorado		Smuggler Mill fire
27	Rock Fall, Colorado	1920	Rock Fall Near Pandora (9-13)
28	Telluride, Colorado	1916	Ingram Gulch, Smuggler Mine, Savage Basin and Tom Bay
29	Savage Basin, Colorado	1911	In and above Savage Basin and Toward Mt. Wilson from east of Telluride
30	Sleet Storm Camp, Colorado	1922	In Sleet Storm Camp and above Bird Divide
31	By Telluride, Colorado	1911	Telluride Power Co. Strain Towers, Camp Bird Divide and Ft. Peabody
32	Barstow Basin, Colorado	circa 1912	Barstow Cliff, toward Red Mountain from Barstow Basin and Lake Ptarmigan
33	Camp Bird, Colorado	1911	Camp Bird Mine and Mill
34	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Between Camp Bird Mill and Ouray
35	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Mineral Farm Mill and Chief Ouray Memorial
36	Ouray, Colorado		Montrose
37	Ouray, Colorado	1922	Line construction
38	Ouray, Colorado	1922	Line construction
39	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Wanakah Tram and Mt. Abram
40	Ouray, Colorado		Uncompahgre Valley from Twin Peak and mountain sheep
41	Ouray, Colorado		Mountain sheep
42	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Ouray and mountain sheep
43	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Twin Peaks, Pt. Washington, and Amphitheatre
44	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Uncompahgre Canyon and Box Canyon, it’s entrance, and above
45	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Cascade falls and pipe line trail
46	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Oak Creek Reservoir and zinc mill
47	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Western Colorado Power Company plant, dwelling plant, and switchboard plant
48	Ouray, Colorado	1912	No. A and B Plant generators
49	Ouray, Colorado		Interior Box Canyon
50	Ouray, Colorado		Interior Box Canyon, canyon’s bridge, and Ouray in background
51	Ouray, Colorado		View of Birdseye from Twin Peaks, along with Mt. Hayden, and entrance to Box Canyon
52	Ouray, Colorado		Ouray looking north and Ouray by night
53	Ouray, Colorado	1912	View of Ouray from Amphitheatre and Plant Pipe
54	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Uncompahgre River, Spillway Ouray Dam, and Plant Pipe
55	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Ouray Plant Pipe and Bear Creek Falls
56	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Million Dollar highway
57	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Mt. Abram and Promontory Point, 3 mi. S of Ouray
58	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Along Ouray Toll Road
59	Ouray, Colorado	1930	D.S.O. Highway South of Ouray
60	Ouray, Colorado	1915	Ironton Park Loops Red Mts., background Million Dollar highway, along with Treasure Tunnel Mill-Ironton
61	Ouray, Colorado	circa 1919	Silver Lodge Mill Fire and view toward Ophir Pass
62	Ouray, Colorado	1915	Red Mountain and vicinity
63	Ouray, Colorado	1919	Ice Lake and from Ice Lake Trail
64	Ouray, Colorado	1919	A view near Ice Lake Basin, North Star Mill, and lightning
65	Ouray, Colorado	circa 1907	Damaged A2 line near Red Mt.
66	Ouray, Colorado	1916	Gold King Mill-Gladstone, Gold King Transformer, and Grand Mogul Mill
67	None	None	None
68	Sunnyside Mine, Colorado	1918or1919	Clearing Gladstone R.R. and Sunnyside Mine
69	Sunnyside Mine, Colorado	1919	Sunnyside Mine scenes and mine fire
70	Sunnyside Mine, Colorado	1919	Sunnyside Mine Fire
71	Sunnyside Mine, Colorado	1919	Scenes near Sunnyside Mine
72	Sunnyside Mine, Colorado	1919	Scenes between Sunnyside Mine and Mill
73	Sunnyside Mine, Colorado	1919	Sunnyside Tram Wreck
74	Sunnyside Mine, Colorado	1919	Sunnyside Tram Wreck
75	Animas Fork, Colorado	1915	Animas Forks, Gold Prince Mine Transformer, and house after fire from lightning
76	Eureka, Colorado	circa 1910	Tom Moore Mine, destroyed boarding house and view between Eureka, and Animas Forks
77	Eureka, Colorado	circa 1910	Old Sunnyside Mill and Eureka
78	Eureka, Colorado	circa 1910	Kittimac Mine and Mill, moving transformer, and a view towards Silverton near Eureka
79	Hamlet Mill, Colorado		Hamlet Mill after fire, during reconstruction
80	Cunningham Gulch, Colorado	circa 1910	Cunningham Gulch
81	Howardsville, Colorado		View from Old Hundred Mine, Ditto, and Howardsville
82	Howardsville, Colorado	circa 1919	Scenes between Howardsville and Silverton
83	Kendall Mt., Colorado	circa 1915	View towards Needle Mts. from Kendall Mts., Tiger Mine, and Silver Lake Mine
84	Iowa Mine, Colorado	circa 1918	Iowa Mine Tram
85	Silver Lake, Colorado	circa 1916	Views of Silver Lake and Wilfley Mill
86	Silverton, Colorado		Silverton, Silver Lake Mill, Sultan Mt., and Silverton Substation
87	Silverton, Colorado	1917	Scenes from Silverton Substation and Silver Lake Power Plant
88	Silverton, Colorado	circa 1909	View towards Silverton Substation
89	Silverton, Colorado	a. 1926	The old Fred Salisberg and Sweitzer - Conran arresters
90	Silverton, Colorado	1919and1926	Sultan Mt. and Substation
91	Silverton, Colorado	1917	Pole Treating Plant and Substation
92	Silverton, Colorado	1917	P.T.P., Substation, Sultan Mt. from S.S.
93	Silverton, Colorado	1916,1919, and 1930	Interior Silverton Substation and first Aluminum Cell Lightning Arresters
94	Silverton, Colorado	circa 1915 and 1916	Rear and barn Silverton Station
95	Silverton, Colorado	1915	Silverton Substation and old shop
96	Silverton, Colorado	1915	Track car and pack train
97	Silverton, Colorado	1915-1916	Telephone switch and fuse under construction
98		1916-1919	Tracks, rack car, and truck

Western Colorado Power Company photograph album Volume 2 page contents:

Page	Title	Year	Description
1	Telluride, Colorado	1911	Sawtooth range and Lake Hope
2	Eureka, Colorado	1910	Animas Canyon near Eureka
3	Mesa Verde, Colorado	1910	Cliff Ruins of Mesa Verde
4	Animas Forks, Colorado	1910	Animas Forks
5	Basin, Colorado	1911 and 1912	Geo Moore, Tresnon, and Dielzel top of range
6	Eureka, Colorado	1910	Above Eureka
7		1911	Sawtooth range, Savage Basin jet house, C. S. Anderson, and Black Bear Mine
8	Eureka, Colorado	1910	View of Eureka
9	Tomboy, Colorado	1911	Scenes of Tomboy
10	Animas Forks, Colorado	1911	Gold Prince Mill
11	Telluride, Colorado	circa 1911	Liberty Bell Southwest house, Liberty Bell Mill, and view towards Red Mountain
12	Eureka, Colorado	1910	View of Eureka
13	Savage Basin, Colorado	circa 1911	The Ingram Creeks, Sawtooth range, and Savage Basin
14	Eureka, Colorado	circa 1910	View of Eureka
15	Lake Ptarmigan	circa 1911	Lake Ptarmigan, scenes near Telluride, and a view of Red Mt.
16		1910	Gold Prince Mill
17	Camp Bird, Colorado	1912	C. B. Mill, C. B. Switch Rack, and Revenue Rd.
18	Eureka, Colorado	1910	Between Eureka and Animas Forks
19	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Old Ouray pipe line and Ouray Dam
20	Waldhein Falls, Colorado	1910	Waldhein Falls near Silverton
21	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Interior Ouray station
22	Animas Canon, Colorado	1910	View of Animas Canon
23	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Bear Creek trail, Mt. Potosi, and scenes on Toll Rd.
24	Bell Spur, Colorado	1910	Near Bell’s Spur
25	Bachelor, Colorado	1912	Lake Lenore, American Nottie Mine, and toll road to Ouray
26	Animas River, Colorado	1910	Animas River S from RR bridge below Tacoma
27	Mt. Sunshine, Colorado	1911	South Parks-San Miguel River, Lizard Head, and Mt. Sunshine
28	Tacoma, Colorado	1910	Animas Canyon
29	Ouray, Colorado	1912	Scenes of Batchelor Mine, Lizard Head, Mt. Wilson, and Pete Dietzel and A. L. Harding
30	Silverton, Colorado	1910	Tiger Mine Tram House
31	Trout Lake, Colorado	1911	Yellow Mt., view from above Trout Lake, Mt. Sunshine, and Cathedral Spires
32	Silverton, Colorado	1910	Tiger Mine
33		1911-1912	Scenes near Ames and Ophir Needles
34	Eureka, Colorado	1910	Animas Canyon above Eureka
35	Telluride, Colorado	1911	Ingram Falls, Bridal Veil Fall, and Black Bear Trail
36	Silverton, Colorado	1910	Arastra Gulch
37	Telluride, Colorado	1911	Bridal Veil Falls and Plant
38	Cascade, Colorado	circa 1907	View near Cascade
39	Mystic Falls, Colorado	1911	Mystic Falls and scenes near Ames
40	No photograph
41	Mystic Falls, Colorado	1911	Mystic Falls and scenes near Ames
42	Ophir Pass, Colorado	1911 and 1930	View of Trout Lake and Ophir Pass
43	Lake Hope, Colorado	1911	Views of Trout Lake flume, portal Lake Hope Tunnel, and T. L. Outlet construction
44	Telluride, Colorado	1911	Toward Telluride from Keystone Hill
45	Trout Lake, Colorado	1911	View of Trout Lake and vicinity
46	San Miguel, Colorado	1911	San Miguel valley form above Pandora
47	Ophir, Colorado	1911	View of Mt. Sunshine and Howards Fork Flume
48	Electra Lake, Colorado	circa 1916	View of Electra Lake
49	Lake Fork, Colorado	1911	View of Lake Fork, San Miguel River, and Howard’s Fork
50	Animas Canyon, Colorado	circa 1920 and 1915	Animas Canyon below Rockwood and view of Silverton by moonlight
51		1910-1911	Photographs of a bobcat and coyote
52	Ouray, Colorado	1912	View of Ouray
53	Ophir, Colorado	1911	Views of Ophir Pass, Suffolk Tram, and Iron Spring
54	Ophir Pass, Colorado	1912	View of Ophir Pass
55	Ames Plant, Colorado	1911	Views of the Ames Plant
56	Silverton, Colorado	1918	The Galena Mt., King Solomon Mt., Hazelton Mt., Blair Mt., and Kendall, Mt.
57	Ames Plant, Colorado	1911	A photograph taken near Ames of S.R. Logan with an eagle
58	Ouray, Colorado	1912 and 1919	A view of both Ouray and Ice Lake Basin
59	Ames Plant, Colorado	1911	Interior and outer Ames Plant
60	Silver Lake Mill, Colorado	1910 and 1914	Silver Lake Mill after the fire, W. E. Fleetwood, and W. C. Allen
61	Ophir, Colorado	1911	View of Ophir Needles and photograph of water wheels at Ames
62	Aspaas Dam, Colorado	1919 and 1926	View of Aspaas Dam and mudslide on big Cascade Flume
63	Ames, Colorado	1911	View of Wilson Creek, Howards Fork Generator, and E. J. Mayo in New Ames
64	Electra Lake, Colorado	1923 and 1926	Views of Electra Lake, Aspaas Dam, and Ignacio Lake
65	Ames Plant, Colorado	1911	Photographs near Ames Plant
66	Electra Lake, Colorado	1916-1917 and 1923	Scenes near Electra Lake
67	Ilium, Colorado	1911	View toward Ilium from Keystone Hill and san Miguel River below keystone Hill
68	Electra Lake, Colorado	1916-1917	Scenes of Electra Lake
69	Ilium, Colorado	1911	Scenes along Ilium flume and swell flume
70	Electra Lake, Colorado	1916-1917	Scenes of Electra Lake and a photograph of Rullie Mountain
71	Mt. Sunshine, Colorado	1911	Views of Mt. Sunshine, Wilson Peak, and Yellow Mt.
72		1916 and 1923	Power flume
73	Sunshine Mesa, Colorado	1911	Scenes on Sunshine Mesa and Wilson Mesa
74	Electra Lake, Colorado	1925	Electra Lake, power flume, and Tacoma forebay
75	Ilium, Colorado	1910-1911	Views of Ilium Flume, Wilson Mesa, and San Miguel River
76	Tacoma Forebay, Colorado	1917	Scenes of Tacoma forebay
77	Ilium Plant, Colorado	1909 and 1911	Ilium Plant
78	Tacoma Plant, Colorado	1916	Tacoma Plant
79	Ilium Plant	1911	Ilium Plant
80	Tacoma Plant, Colorado	1916	Tacoma Plant and rebuild of No. 2 Generator
81	Ilium Plant, Colorado	1909-1911	Ilium Plant
82	Tacoma, Colorado	1916	Rebuild of Tacoma No. 2
83	Telluride, Colorado	1911	Events during July 4
84	Animas Hill, Colorado	1920	Views from Animas Hill
85	Telluride, Colorado	1911	Events during July 4
86	Animas City, Colorado	circa 1909 and 1925-1926	View of Animas City Bridge and Animas Mt.’s forest fire.
87	Telluride, Colorado	1910-1911	View of Cushman Lake, Mesa Ranger Station, and Telluride
88	Animas City, Colorado	1910 and 1929	View of Animas River at Animas City and a photograph of Mariam O. Willis
89	Mt. Sunshine, Colorado	1910	Mt. Sunshine and Wilson Peak
90	Ames, Colorado	1914	Photographs of C. J. Fisher and Nellie Edstrom at Trout Lake and Xmas at Ames
91	Ames, Colorado	1911	Employees of Ames and Ilium
92	Ophir Pass, Colorado	1930	Brundige, Andrews, and Kelly on Ophir Pass
93	Ames Plant, Colorado	1911	Milt Evans, Craig, and J. C. Damon at Ames Plant
94	Ames, Colorado	1914-1915	A. K. Chapman at Ames
95	Location and data unknown
96	Ilium, Colorado	1913	People at Ilium
97	Aztec, New Mexico	1911	View of Aztec Ruin
98	Trout Lake, Colorado	1914	Above Trout Lake stands Mt. Evans
99	Camp Bird-Savage Basin Divide		A view of Silver Mt., Cathedral Spires, Yellow Mt., Sheep Mt., Mt. Sunshine, and Wilson Peak
100		1911,1912 and 1914	Photographs of S. R. Logan, C. S. Anderson, and A. K. Chapman

The Western Colorado Power Company Photograph Collection rough inventory was prepared by Student Archival Assistant Bill Jones and Todd Ellison in October of 1998, and was edited and formatted by Todd Ellison in December of 2001. Student Assistant Natasha Slim produced the page inventory of the two early photograph albums in February of 2002. Volunteer Esther Greenfield began numbering the items in the photo collection in November of 2006.

Folder list of photoprints: (this is a work in progress)

Series	Box	Folder	Sleeve#s	Item #s	Folder Title	Years
8.1	1	1	1-37	1-105	Ames Station	1890/1950
8.1	1	2	1-9	1-23	Ames Station	1939/1950-04-19
8.1	1	3	1-21	1-21	Ames Station	1900/1929-10
8.2	1	4	1-14	1-40	Ames-Rico transmission lines	1923-10-31/1923-11-16
8.2	1	5	15-34	41-93	Ames-Rico transmission lines	1900/1929-10
8.3	1	6	1-5	1-13	Howard’s Fork Station	1915-10/1921
8.4	1	7	1-3	1-7	Austin-Montrose line and switchrack	1947-03-22/1947-06-14
8.5	1	8	1-8	1-19	Camp Bird Mine snowslide	1936-01-24
8.6	1	0	0	0	Bayfield-Pine River District (no photos)
8.7	1	9	1-23	1-67	Cascade Reservoir repairs (Electra Lake)	1944-05/1944-08

Links to folder titles for other categories of records of the Western Colorado Power Company:

Record Group 1: Main office records	Record Group 2: Business correspondence (box 1)
Record Group 3: Engineering records and correspondence	Record Group 4: Production, transmission and distribution records
Record Group 5: Electra Sporting Club records and correspondence	Record Group 6: Old Timers Association records and correspondence
Record Group 7: Mines and mineral resources records	Record Group 8: Photographs

Doing your own research: This description of a portion of the collections at the Fort Lewis College Center of Southwest Studies is provided to inform interested parties about the nature and depth of the repository's collections. It cannot serve as a substitute for a visit to the repository for those with substantial research interests in the collections.

This collection is located at the Center of Southwest Studies on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Researchers wanting more information about using this material at the Delaney Southwest Research Library at the Center may email the archivist at archives@fortlewis.edu or click here to use our E-mail Reference Request Form (or phone the archivist at 970/247-7126). The Center does not have a budget for outgoing long-distance phone calls to answer reference requests, so please email if you wish to receive a response from the Center. To request reproductions/copies, click here for instructions.

Page last modified: February 11, 2008

Collection M 002: Western Colorado Power Company records: Record Group 8: photographs (this is Photo Collection P 009)

In addition to the loose photos that are in the series that are listed above, the collection includes two albums of early photographs, as described below.

Western Colorado Power Company photograph album Volume 1 contents:

Western Colorado Power Company photograph album Volume 2 page contents:

Collection M 002:
Western Colorado Power Company records:
Record Group 8: photographs
(this is Photo Collection P 009)