Chapter 39.52
HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Sections:

39.52.010    Background.

39.52.020    2010 Comprehensive Plan goals and policies.

39.52.030    Orchard Mesa historic preservation.

39.52.010 Background.

(a)    Orchard Mesa is rich in history (Appendix Map 24). Like all of Mesa County, Orchard Mesa was a Ute Indian territory until 1881 when the area was opened for settlement. In that year, George Crawford, the founder of Grand Junction, first viewed the Grand Valley from a point above what is now the Fifth Street Bridge on Orchard Mesa. Before George Crawford and the many pioneers that came to settle the Grand Valley, early Spanish traders and explorers passed through on the way to search for gold, silver and other riches. They came across Orchard Mesa on the Old Spanish Trail Northern Branch from 1829 to 1848. This trail made its way through Mesa County from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Green River, Utah, where it rejoined the main branch of the trail. It was used by early traders, trappers and explorers to trade with the Ute Indians.

(b)    The Old Spanish Trail crossed the Colorado River near the present day location of 28 3/4 Road. An historic marker is located along Unaweep Avenue. A seven-mile-long section of a public trail from Whitewater to Orchard Mesa has been designated as an official Retracement Route of the Old Spanish Trail by the National Park Service. The Old Spanish Trail was designated as a National Historic Trail by Congress in 2002.

(c)    The Sisters Trails (the Old Spanish Trail and Gunnison River Bluffs Trails) draft report was completed in 2012. Adoption and implementation of the plan will help to recognize, promote and protect the Old Spanish Trail and Gunnison River Bluffs Trails area by:

(1)    Developing a vision and goals for the area;

(2)    Identifying, surveying and recording trail alignments through the area;

(3)    Identifying trail standards to be used for construction and maintenance;

(4)    Identifying signage standards;

(5)    Identifying funding sources for trail and trailhead development and enhancements;

(6)    Developing a Community Engagement Strategy; and

(7)    Promoting long-term stewardship.

(d)    It was from the junction of the Gunnison River and the Grand River (now known as the Colorado River) that George Crawford stood and viewed the location of a new town site. This spot now referred to by locals as “Confluence Point” is under private ownership and has been mentioned for many years as a place that should be set aside with public access.

(e)    Orchard Mesa Heights, located at 26 1/2 Road and C Road on 120 acres, was the earliest recorded subdivision on Orchard Mesa. It was recorded in 1890 and 1895 and created standard city lots (100 feet by 25 feet), organized on city blocks. There are several older houses remaining in the western portion of Orchard Mesa that characterize the architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with styles such as Queen Anne, Dutch Colonial, Gothic Revival and Craftsman, as well as simple vernacular farmhouses.

(f)    The first orchards were established during the late 1880s. The main crops in order of priority were apples, pears and peaches. The Orchard Mesa Land and Investment Company set out 240 acres with 50,000 fruit trees in 1891. Irrigation water was pumped from the rivers for private use and by the 1920s the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began a drainage project to solve alkali problems. In the 1920s the Rose Glen Dairy was established on the west end of the mesa by the Clymer family. It became known as Clymer’s Dairy and remained open into the 1990s. The Clymer Residence at 1865 Clymer Way is listed on the Grand Junction Register of Historic Sites, Structures and Districts. In the rural areas, several old barns and agricultural buildings from original farms can still be found.

(g)    Modern access to Orchard Mesa has included three bridges spanning the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers. The Fifth Street Bridge was constructed in 1886 and was replaced by a two-lane bridge in 1933. This bridge lasted until 1989 when it was replaced to match the existing two-lane southbound bridge constructed years earlier when the volume of traffic warranted four lanes of traffic. The old Black Bridge crossed the Gunnison River, connecting Orchard Mesa with the Redlands area and Glade Park. It was closed to traffic in 1983 due to damage to its stone foundations caused by floodwaters and although it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was taken down in September of 1988 by Mesa County. The third bridge, a bridge at 32 Road (State Highway 141) replaced the old Clifton Bridge.

(h)    Orchard Mesa’s main road during the late 1800s and early 1900s followed Unaweep Avenue (C Road) through the Four Corners area (29 Road and B 1/2 Road) and then ran parallel to the Gunnison River to Whitewater along the old Whitewater Hill Road (commonly believed to be part of the Salt Lake Wagon Road/Old Spanish Trail). This route became State Highway 340 until U.S. Highway 50 across Orchard Mesa was established in the 1940s. Along Highway 50, properties such as the Artesian Hotel are typical of the mid-century auto-oriented development that served the traveling public.

(i)    Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary School, located on B 1/2 Road near 29 Road, was established in 1895 as the first school built to serve Orchard Mesa. The original building no longer stands, but was utilized as part of the elementary school as recently as the late 1980s.

(j)    The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) site along the Gunnison River was originally established in the 1940s as part of the Manhattan Project. At one time, the site housed two pilot uranium ore milling plants. It later became a leading office involved in restoration of properties contaminated with uranium mill tails. After the Uranium Mill Tailings Remediation Action (UMTRA) was completed in the 1990s, the DOE no longer needed the entire 54-acre site and most of it was transferred to the City and County for use as a business incubator. The DOE continues to house their Legacy properties offices on the site and monitor the site’s groundwater.

(k)    The Bannister Cemetery (now a part of the Orchard Mesa Cemetery) was the first cemetery on Orchard Mesa. Now Orchard Mesa is the site of several cemeteries, all of which are located adjacent to one another above the Gunnison River near the Fifth Street hill. They include Potter’s Field, Calvary, Municipal, Orchard Mesa, Veterans, Ohr Shalom, the Oddfellows (I.O.O.F), and Masonic Cemeteries. George Crawford is buried on a hill above the cemeteries; the City continues to work to preserve and enhance the site.

(Ord. 4629, 5-7-14)

39.52.020 2010 Comprehensive Plan goals and policies.

(a)    Goal 6. Land use decisions will encourage preservation of existing buildings and their appropriate reuse.

(b)    Policies.

(1)    In making land use and development decisions, the City and County will balance the needs of the community.

(Ord. 4629, 5-7-14)

39.52.030 Orchard Mesa historic preservation.

(a)    Goal 1. Paleontological, historic and cultural resources that symbolize the area’s identity and uniqueness are retained and preserved.

(1)    Actions.

(i)    Efforts shall be made to preserve and protect significant historic, cultural and paleontological resources whenever possible and reasonable.

(ii)    Conduct a comprehensive inventory of historic, cultural and paleontological resources in the planning area in conjunction with the Museum of Western Colorado and other partners.

(iii)    Assist property owners in listing properties on the Grand Junction Register of Historic Sites, Structures and Districts and the Mesa County Register of Historic Landmarks. Provide guidance and technical assistance to help preserve or rehabilitate historic properties.

(iv)    Working in partnership with the Museum of Western Colorado, the Old Spanish Trail Association and other organizations, encourage and support efforts to provide interpretive materials that recognize the history and culture of Orchard Mesa.

(v)    Include the Old Spanish Trail and other historic sites on Orchard Mesa when promoting the Grand Valley as a place to visit and recreate.

(Ord. 4629, 5-7-14)