History
One of our goals at Unconformity Records is exploring the unknown. This often comes in the form of better understanding our local history. From ghost towns and abandoned mines to pueblo ruins and petroglyphs, we set out to find and document the pieces of Colorado history that are seldom talked about. Much of this can be found in our historical database linked below.​​​​
The abandoned Eagle Mining District near Belden, Colorado (Photo: Neko Drenas)
Environmental Case Studies
The world can be a messed up place. Since the beginning of humanity, we have continued to leave a lasting impact on our environment in the form of human-caused disasters resulting from negligence and greed. To make matters worse, we often fail to acknowledge much of these events, which does little to assure they don't happen again. The purpose of the following case studies is to raise awareness on some of the places and events that we have found to be significant in the grand scheme of environmental disasters.​​​
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~ Unconformity Records
Statutes and Superfund: A Review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Response in the 2015 Gold King Mine Spill
A review of the causation of the 2015 Gold King Mine spill, highlighting the Environmental Protection Agency's response and involvement in the spill.
On August 5, 2015, the Gold King Mine released an estimated 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater into Cement Creek, creating a bright orange plume that travelled down the Animas River. reaching as far as Lake Powell over the course of 9 days. This water contained elevated levels of numerous toxic heavy metals, and the pH dropped significantly to around 3 from its regular pH of 7.5. All of the towns along the Animas and San Juan Rivers were affected by the spill. The event ended up bringing a significant amount of attention to acid mine drainage (AMD) management and water quality in Colorado.​​​
Settling ponds precipitating iron oxide and other metals near the Gold King Mine (Photo: Eric Vance, EPA)
The Durango Smelter: Tracing the History of the San Juan and New York Smelting Company
A research project studying the history of the San Juan and New York Smelting Company, which processed large amounts of uranium during the Manhattan Project.
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This project is in progress...
The San Juan and New York Smelting Company (aka the Durango Smelter) was a mineral refinery that operated between 1882 and 1930 in Durango, Colorado, where it processed gold, silver, copper, lead, and coke. Between 1930 and 1963, it was used to process large amounts of Uranium that was used in the Manhattan Project, then was left dormant until 1985, when it was cleaned up by the US Department of Energy as a result of concerns over the leaching of radioactive waste into the Animas River.
The San Juan and New York Smelting Company smelter circa 1892 (Photo: Gonner & Leeka / Animas Museum)
Historical Studies
Outside of our research in specific environmental topics and disasters, we also study various topics in local history that don't have lasting consequences on the environment. These efforts relate more to research for the purpose of historical preservation, much mostly takes the form of the pages contained within this website. One of the simplest ways to preserve history is through raising awareness, which has been made easy with the internet.
Documentation of Hispano Churches in Early Settlements along the San Juan River
​A project working on documenting some of the earliest post-colonization history in Colorado and New Mexico in early settlements along the San Juan River.​
The currently unmaintained Iglesia de San Antonio in Tiffany, Colorado (Photo: Neko Drenas)
Pagosa Junction: Uncovering the History of a Railroad Town Left in Ruin
​A project working on uncovering the history of the abandoned structures in and around the former railroad town of Pagosa Junction through records and on-site analysis.​
A view from the historic town of Pagosa Junction (Photo: Neko Drenas)