You Can Help SAVE The Historic Hanging Flume!

What is the Hanging Flume?

In western Colorado, an engineering marvel of a bygone era clings to sheer canyon walls along seven miles of the Dolores River. The Hanging Flume was built in the 1880s to divert water for gold mining, but the exact method of its construction remains a mystery. How was this immense engineering work completed in such a remote location in just a few years? No written accounts or photographs of its construction exist and time is running out to document the remaining pieces of this fascinating and unique structure. We want to answer the question, “how did they do that?” before valuable clues to the flume’s construction are lost forever. Your contribution will help send a team of engineers, historians, wood scientists and rope access experts to explore and document remaining portions of the flume.

The Hanging Flume is the most intact structure of its kind in the United States, and it is the only hanging flume in a condition suitable for preservation, education and interpretation. It illustrates the ingenuity and fortitude of the engineers and miners intent on extracting gold from the land. The Hanging Flume is a historically significant cultural resource recognized by:

  •  The World Monuments Fund – 2006 Most Endangered Sites list
  •   The State of Colorado – Most Endangered Places of 1999
  •   National Register of Historic Places

Time is Running Out to Document the Flume

The Hanging Flume is deteriorating as a result of the ongoing effects of exposure to the elements, falling debris and rock slides, and scavenging. The threat of losing key segments of the flume means the time is now to investigate and document remaining sections before the evidence is gone forever. Previous expeditions have documented approximately 10 percent of the remaining sections of the Hanging Flume. At each location, different construction configurations were discovered. The urgency for conducting this project now is that undocumented segments may contain key information on the construction of the Flume that will be lost as the 130-year-old structure continues to deteriorate.

What We Need & What You Get

Your contribution will help the Interpretive Association of Western Colorado send a team of experts to document additional remaining sections of the flume. The original project team that has made expeditions to the flume and produced technical reports over the past decade is ready to conduct the next phase of investigative work. To get the team to the flume, we only need to raise $20,000 more in order to match over $140,000 already raised!

Contributions at any level are greatly appreciated. Contributors at the $50 level will receive a copy of the 60-minute DVD film about the Hanging Flume, “The Best Kept Secret of the Wild West.” Please share our campaign with your network to make an even greater impact!

Learn more and get involved here.