The tin-sided, single-room Yellow Creek Schoolhouse located along State Highway 64 halfway between Meeker and Rangely is now listed in the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties, as of Sept. 28, 2022. This listing resulted from the collaboration between BLM White River Field Office and historic architecture contractors, History Colorado, community members, and the Rio Blanco County Historical Society whose ongoing historic schoolhouse initiative has resulted in restoration of such single-room schools as the Coal Creek Schoolhouse. The Yellow Creek Schoolhouse now qualifies for consideration of State Historic Fund (SHF) grants to fully restore this rural school building for future education opportunities on the history of Rio Blanco County.
The Yellow Creek Schoolhouse in 1989. Photo taken by Robert B. Watson for the BLM White River Field Office. | COURTESY PHOTO
The Colorado State Register of Historic Properties is a listing of the state’s significant cultural resources deserving of preservation for the future education and enjoyment of residents and visitors. Properties listed in the State Register include individual buildings, structures, objects, districts, and historic and archaeological sites. More than 2,000 individual properties and districts are currently listed in the State Register. The State Register program is administered by the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP) within History Colorado, the Colorado Historical Society. History Colorado maintains an official list of all properties included in the State Register. Properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places are automatically placed in the State Register. They may also be nominated separately to the State Register without inclusion in the National Register. Those listed in the State Register may be eligible for investment tax credits or for grants from the State Historical Fund (SHF), another program of History Colorado. OAHP staff is available to assist with the initial assessments of eligibility and to provide guidance in the completion of State Register nominations.
Special to the Herald Times
