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NATIONAL REGISTER
BULLETIN
Technicalinformationon the theNational RegisterofHistoric Places:
survey,evaluation,registration,and preservationofcultural resources
U.S.DepartmentoftheInterior
NationalParkService
CulturalResources
NationalRegister,Historyand Education
Guidelines for Identifying, Evaluating, and
Mining
Registering Historic Properties
The mission ofthe Departmentofthe Interior is to protect and provide access to
our Nation's natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to
tribes.
The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural
resources and values ofthe National Park System for the enjoyment, education,
and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with
partners to extend the benefits ofnatural and cultural resource conservation and
outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.
This material is partially based upon work conducted under a cooperative
agreement with the National Conference ofState Historic Preservation Officers
and the U.S. DepartmentoftheInterior.
Cover Photo: This photograph ofLead Historic District in South Dakota
illustrates the complex array ofmineral extractionfacilities, mills, worker
housing, and tailings piles which typify the industrial nature ofmany historic
miningproperties. (Scott Gerloff)
NATIONAL REGISTER
BULLETIN
GUIDELINES FOR IDENTIFYING,
AND
EVALUATING, REGISTERING HISTORIC
MINING PROPERTIES
BY
BRUCE NOBLE,
JR.
J.
AND
ROBERT SPUDE
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
NATIONAL REGISTER, HISTORY AND EDUCATION
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
1992,
Revised 1997
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://archive.org/details/guidelinesforideOOnobl
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
ii
Acknowledgments
iii
I. Introduction 1
II. Historic Contexts for Mining 3
Sources of Historic Context Information 4
III. Identification 6
Survey and Documentation 6
Preliminary Research 7
Field Survey 7
Property Analysis 9
Identifying Property Types 9
Extraction 10
Beneficiation 11
Refining 12
Engineer-Designed Complexes 13
Mining Landscapes 13
Related Property Types 14
IV. Evaluation 15
Applying National Register Criteria to Mining Properties 15
A
Criterion 15
Criterion B 17
Criterion C 17
D
Criterion 17
Criteria Considerations 18
Integrity 19
Location 19
Design 20
Setting 20
Materials 21
Workmanship 21
Feeling 21
Association 21
V. Documentation and Registration 22
Section 7: Description 23
Section 8: Significance 24
Section10: Boundaries 25
VI. Selected Bibliography 26
SamplePeriodicalsandJournals 26
Books 26
VII. Glossary 29
VIII. National Register Bulletins 31
PREFACE
Miningactivitycomprisesanimpor- actual miningoccurred havereceived TheNationalRegisterevaluation
tantcomponentofournation'sheritage. considerablylessattention. However, processoffersaframeworkforassessing
NativeAmericansengaged inthe theindustrial miningsitesoften face the thesignificanceofminingsites,while
extractionand processingofprecious greatest threatstoday. Massiveearth listingin theNational Registerwill help
metals"longbeforeinitialcontact with movingeffortsassociated withmodern assure thatsignificantminingsitesare
Europeans. Storiesofabundantmineral mining,alongwithprograms to reclaim recognized and protected whenpos-
wealthranked highon thelistoffactors abandoned minelands,canharmthe sible.Theultimategoal ofthisbulletinis
thatfirstattracted Europeansto the remnantsofhistoricminingactivity. In toprovideabodyofinformation to
NorthAmericancontinent.Thequest addition, manyminingsiteshavefallen support Federal,State,and localefforts
formineral wealthcontinuesincontem- victim to thecombined effectsof tomanagehistoricmining properties
poraryAmerica. Manycenturiesof neglect,abandonment,vandalism,and witha senseofstewardshippredicated
miningactivityhavelefta legacyof severeweather. upon recognitionoftheimportanceof
historicminingsitesthatnowexist The threatsfaced bytheseproperties, thesepropertiesinournation'shistory.
throughout theentireUnited States. alongwith thecomplex taskofunder-
TheopulentVictorianarchitecture standingthesignificanceofdeteriorated
characteristicofsomesuccessful sitesassociated withourindustrial
nineteenth-centuryminingtownshas heritage,suggest thetimelinessofa LawrenceE. Aten
galvanized interest inpreservingand bulletinonevaluatingand nominating Chief, InteragencyResourcesDivision
restoringthesecommunities.The historicminingpropertiestothe National ParkService
decayingindustrial siteswhere the National RegisterofHistoricPlaces. DepartmentoftheInterior
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Theauthorswishtoofferspecial Seifert, InteragencyResources Division, tance. Kira Ramakrishna wroteseveral
thanks for theassistanceoftheMining NPS; KathyMcCraneyand Ann photocaptions. Thecontributionsofall
and Inventoryand MonitoringPro- Johnson, RockyMountainRegion, NPS; theindividuals listed aboveprovided a
gram, DivisionofCultural Resources, AnnE. Huston, Western Region, NPS; tremendousboost toefforts tocompile
Alaska Regional Office, National Park GretchenLuxenberg, PacificNorthwest and clarify thefinaldraftofthebulletin.
ServiceNPS) and Don L. Hardestyof Region, NPS; Dana E. Supernowicz, This publication hasbeenprepared
theUniversityofNevada-Reno. Repre- Eldorado National Forest; Pamela A. pursuant to theNational HistoricPres-
sentativesoftheMiningInventoryand Conners,Stanislaus National Forest; ervationActof1966, asamended,
MonitoringProgram,especially Logan WilliamT. Civish, DivisionofRecre- whichdirects theSecretaryoftheInte-
Hovisand Ann Kain, provided exten- ation,Cultural and WildernessRe- rior todevelopand makeavailable
sivematerial regarding placermining sources, Bureau ofLand Management; informationconcerning historicproper-
that hasbeenused throughout thebulle- jayC. Ziemann, Arizona StateParks; ties. GuidelinesforIdentifying, Evaluat-
tin. DonL. Hardestyauthored material KatherineM. Huppeand ChereJiusto, ing,andRegisteringHistoricMiningProp-
relating totheevaluationofmining Montana State Historic Preservation ertieswasdeveloped under thegeneral
propertiesunderCriterion Dand pro- Office; Dan Deiblerand BillSisson, editorship ofCarol D. Shull,Chiefof
vided additional important information Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Registration, National RegisterofHis-
concerning thearcheological dimen- Commission;JeffreyA. Twining, Texas toricPlaces. Antoinette Lee, historian,
sionsofminingproperties. Weare HistoricCommission;JoanM. isresponsible forpublicJa.tionscoordina-
grateful forthesevaluablecontributions. Antonson,AlaskaOfficeofHistoryand tionand PattySackettChrisman, histo-
Helpful writtencommentswerepro- Archeology;Barbara Norgren,Colo- rian,provides technical support.Com-
vided bymany individuals. Thesein- rado HistoricalSociety; Loretta E. mentson thispublicationmaybedi-
clude Douglas H. Scovill, Anthropology Pineda,ColoradoMined Land Recla- rected to Keeper, National Registerof
Division, NPS; EdwinBearss, History mationDivision;and Patrick E. Martin, Historic Places, National ParkService,
DC
Division, NPS; BlaineCliverand Kay MichiganTechnological University. 1849CStreet,N.W.,Washington,
Weeks, PreservationAssistanceDivi- Interns NicoleWarrenand Tanya Velt 20240.
sion, NPS; Patricia L. Parkerand Donna provided photographicresearchassis-
in
INTRODUCTION
I.
TheUnited Stateshasrankedamong inPerthAmboy,NewJersey;Russian evaluatesignificanceand employing
theworld'sleadingnationsinthe coal minesin Alaska;theexpansiveopen established integritystandards, the
productionofgold,silver,copper,iron, pitsoftheIron RangeofMinnesota;coal National Registerprocessprovidesa
lead,coal,oil,zinc,molybdenum, tipplesinAppalachia;andcoppermines valuableyardstickformeasuringthe
uranium,andothermetals. These oftheSouthwest. Although thevarious historical significanceofminingproper-
treasuresfrom theearthhavealsomade metalsrequiredifferenttechnologiesto ties. Thus, theNational Registeristhe
majorimpactson thesettlementand extracteconomicallyvaluablemetal best means fordeterminingthesignifi-
developmentofmanyregions, from fromore,therearemanysimilaritiesin canceofhistoricminingpropertiesin
Appalachia to Alaska. Preciousmetals extraction,beneficiation (theinitial theUnited States. Inaddition to
havecreatedunimaginablefortunes, processofupgradingore),and refining. providingan incentivefor preservation
whileunwiseinvestmenthascaused the Oilandgasfields, however,require byrecognizingresourcesthatwarrant
lossofmillionsofdollars. Large uniquetechnologiesdeveloped forthe preservation,listingaffordsa measure
segmentsofthepopulationhavebeen extractionoffossil fuels. Thisdifference ofprotection from Federal undertakings
influencedbytheworkofpryingore, meansthat theextractiveindustriesofoil and canhelpto identifyproperties
rock,orcoal fromthebowelsofthe andgasarenotexamined indetail, worthyofHistoric Preservation Fund
earth. Thepurposeofthisbulletinisto althoughthisbulletin willgivegeneral grantassistance, tax incentives,and
assistin therecognitionofsignificant directionfortheirevaluation. otherformsofassistance. Thebulletin
miningpropertiesworthyoflistingin Thetransientnatureofmining willalsoprovideanapproach for
theNational RegisterofHistoricPlaces.1 activityhasleftalegacyofhistoric complyingwith Federal lawssuchas
Someofthiscountry'sspectacularly propertiesthatposechallenges toour theSurface MiningControland Recla-
successfulminingoperationshave traditional rulesforevaluatingsignifi- mation Actof1977thathelpprotect
alreadybeendocumented and recog- canceand integrity. Manymining propertieslisted in theNational Regis-
nized. Forexample,VirginiaCity, structureswerebuiltfortemporaryuse ter.
Nevada;theSlossblast furnacesat andquicklyabandoned oncetheminer- National Registerlistingalsogives
Birmingham, Alabama;Butte,Montana; alshad beenexhausted. Theresources credibilitytoStateandlocal effortsto
theElkinscokeworksatBretz,West havesubsequentlyexperienced decades preserveminingresourcesbased on
Virginia;Kennecott,Alaska;and the ofneglect,aggravated byvandalismand theircontinuingcontribution toa
Calumetand Hecla MineinCalumet, severeweather. Inothercases,mining community'sidentity. Thedocumenta-
Michigan,aredesignated National activitieswereshort-lived. Hamilton, tioncontained insurveysand nomina-
HistoricLandmarks. Manyadditional Nevada,forexample, witnesseda —tionsofthesehistoric miningproperties
miningpropertiesarelisted in the whirlwindofsilverrushactivityin 1869, especiall—ythose thatareneglected or
National RegisterofHistoricPlaces. but theminesfailed and the town faded threatened isthekeytotheirbetter
However,throughout thenation,many toaghost town withina decade(Jack- protectionand management. This
significantminingpropertieshaveyet to son, 1963). Thesignificanceofsuch informationhasa varietyofuses,
bedocumented,evaluated,and listed in propertieswill havetobebased on their includingpubliceducation;planningby
theNational Register. Manyofthese archeological potentialand noton their local,State,orFederal agencies;or
remainingresourcesaresmall,but presentlackofstandingstructures. publication. Thepurposeofthis
important,elementsofhistoricmining Theneed forguidancein evaluating bulletin istoguideFederal agencies,
activitysuchasa ditch,a shaftopening, miningresourcesispressingbecauseofa Statehistoricpreservationoffices,
a road,ora collectionofprospectpits. marked increaseinactivities that Certified Local Governments, preserva-
Asa result, thisbulletin will not focus threatenhistoricminingresources. tionprofessionals,and interested
onminingcampsand theirarchitecture, Theseactivitiesincludetherecent groupsand individuals through the
butinstead will emphasize theidentifi- upswingincoal miningand precious processofidentifying,evaluating,and
cation,evaluation,and registrationof metal miningwhichcan impact historic registeringhistoric miningproperties to
thefrequentlyoverlooked mining miningareas. Inaddition,minereclama- theNational Register.
propertiesand industrial tracts. tionand clean-upeffortsoften threaten Thisbulletinoutlinesageneral
Minesand industrial tractsencom- historicallysignificant mines. Although approach to theidentification,evalua-
passarangeoftypesofhistorical and well-intended, theseclean-upactivities tion,and registrationofhistoricmining
cultural properties. Theyvary fromiron cancontribute to thelossofsignificant properties throughout the United States.
works, topreciousmetal mills,to resources. Abroad rangeofminingactivitieswere
dredgesand theirassociated outbuild- TheNational RegisterofHistoric conducted indifferentregionsofthe
ings. Theyincludemercury furnaces Placesprovidesan important tool for country. Although thisbulletinmaynot
fromtheMexican-era in theWest;an evaluatingand protectingmining providespecificdetailsaboutevery
early twentiethcenturynickel refinery properties. Utilizinguniformcriteria to formofminingand every typeof
1
mining property, thegeneral process Inaddition, thisbulletinmayalsoassist textofextracted matter, includescoal.
discussed in thisbulletinwill assist withtheidentification, evaluation, and General instructions forpreparing
withthenominationofa greatdiversity registrationofpropertiesassociated National Register nominationsare
ofminingproperties. with non-metallicmining. Examples availablein twoNational Registerbul-
Thefocusofthisbulletin is historic includeclaymining (associated with letins: How toCompletetheNational
minesorassociated propertiescon- brickmaking), saltmining, saltpetre RegisterRegistration Form,and How to
structed specifically for theextractionof mining,and rockand gravelquarrying. Complete theNationalRegisterMultiple
mineralsor tosupport theextraction, For thepurposesofthisbulletin, the PropertyDocumentation Form.
benefication,and refiningofminerals. word "mineral," when used in thecon-
?*3i
This photo of Virginia City, Nevada illustrates characteristicfeatures ofmining towns such as headframes, tailings
piles, and exploration pits. Representing one ofthe United States' most successful mining operations, the Virginia City
HistoricDistrict was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. (Jim Reinheiler)
