Title: FOX ESTATE
Location Current Site: Boulder CO UNITED STATES
Creator Assoc Person Name: Wasserbach,Kristy
Creator Assoc Person Role: Photographer
Date.Creation: ca. 1900-1900
Subject.Image Description: S. facade of barn
Description.Image Comments: ENVD4122 spring 2004 ELCALP project
Instructor: Lynn Lickteig
Style/Period: Colonial
Style/Period Description: (American,Dutch,German,Swedish)
Subject Image View Type: Exterior, general view
Description.Subject Report: FOX MINING OFFICE AND BARN
Coal mining was the impetus that drove people to develop the Boulder area. The first coal mining in Colorado was in Marshall spanning the from 1859 to the 1940s. William Kitchens discovered the area and sold it to Joseph Marshall who, named the small town Marshall Mesa. Mining was dangerous and the towns around mines had reputations for being wild with difficult living conditions and little pay for the workers. During the Great Depression in the 1930s the mining industry fell apart and, without the mines to support it, the town of Marshall gradually died out. Among the few remaining buildings from the period, only three are on the historic register: the schoolhouse, the Fox Stone Barn registered in February 16th 1996, and the Fox Mine Office added to the register in February 23rd 1996. Henry Fox owned and operated the Fox Mines, the remains of which lay just to the south of the site. The Fox barn and office are located one-fourth mile south of the intersection of S. Boulder Rd. and Cherryvale Rd. along with the ruins of the old Fox residence, the Hogan house, a metal barn, sheds, a granary and silo. There are also stone foundations littering the site, but their purpose is not known. Built around 1900, the barn is representative of the way buildings were constructed with locally quarried Ashlar stone blocks which withstand time and weather better than typical wooden. The ripples and iron ore streaks ingrained in the stone give evidence of prehistoric bodies of water and massive faults. Cement mortar seals the joints between the massive stones which average one and a half feet by one foot by one foot. The barn is 18'2" by 25' with a loft on the top, and a 9'3"x25' open structure built out of wood as an addition. Three stalls are built into the main building with Pine 2?"x3?" studs. The roof is made of galvanized steel and the inside is made of wire nails, proving it was not constructed until after 1890. Historians know that the building was used at one time as a bunk house for employees of the Fox Mine because steel pipes going up to the loft would have been stove pipes, but the structure was later turned into a barn. Built in 1883 out of Ashlar blocks, the Fox Mine Office, which is on the southeast corner of the, is very small, roughly 7ft by 7ft and about 14 feet tall. The corners of the office are precisely cut compared to the barn stonework. There is a window on the south side and one on the north of the bottom half of the structure. There are stairs made out of stone going up to the entrance on the east side and a curved stone door frame above the door to support the stone above it. On the main entrance door there is a horseshoe for good luck and a metal "HF" lettering placed on the door for Henry Fox. From the outside of the eastern entrance a set of stairs leads to an underground door. Because the inside is so small, the only access to the upstairs and downstairs was from the outside. The building was used to organize the paperwork of the mines and miners. Throughout the site there are detailed traces of historical events in signatures, cattle brands, and old nails lying on the ground; these details help to develop the stories of the miners and cattlemen who populated the valley when it was sparsely developed. While the Fox buildings have different uses, and were built at different times, they have both stood the test of time because they were built out of the same sturdy materials. They give evidence of a past thriving industry, which is overlooked by today's passers by, that was influential in the beginnings of Boulder County. Sources: Sampson, Joanna Walking through History on Marshall Mesa 1995., "Boulder County Open Space Historical Documents"., http://www.coloradohistory-oahp.org/programareas/register/1503/cty/bl.htm., Rovnak, Paul, Interview construction project coordinator City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. (Kristy
Wasserbach, 2004)
ID Number.Former Image Accession VISC: 145363
Date.Image: 2004
Rights Description: Copyright owned by The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate, and the photographer. All rights reserved.
Source.Requestor Full Name: Lickteig, Lynn
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