Both dwellings were completed in June of 1881.  They were built by David Fisher, a local sandstone quarry owner who incorporated sandstone in the design of the house and the cottage. 

The 1881 hotel/boarding house is associated with the early commercial development of West Gunnison and is a good local example of large scale balloon frame construction.

The district consists of over 60 sites, of a wide variety. Major quarries exist in three locations, and many sites contain hearths and roasting pits.

The Chance Gulch site is important for its prehistoric archaeology pertaining to economics, industry, settlement, and social history. 

The Doyleville School filled the educational needs of the community from 1920 to 1962 and also was the focus of much of the area’s social activity.

The 1889 Tays House was built during the early settlement of the Crystal River Valley and the town of Crystal.  It is a well-preserved and essentially undisturbed example of a late 19th century miner’s residence.

Constructed in 1892 for use as a powerhouse, the wooden Crystal Mill sits on a dramatic rock outcrop above the Crystal River near the town of Marble.  It consists of three sections: the compressor house, the gear house, and the penstock. 

Settlers looking for precious metals were in the area as early as 1874.  As the number of mining camps grew, Crested Butte thrived as a supply center, and the town was incorporated in 1880.  As the gold and silver played out, the mining of nearby high quality bituminous coal supported the economy.  The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company and its predecessors developed coal mines and coke ovens, making the Crested Butte area the state’s leading mountain coal operation by 1882.

Constructed in 1883, this combination passenger and freight depot remained in use until the 1954 abandonment of the Crested Butte narrow gauge branch line of the D&RG.

Originally located on Big Mine Hill, this large wood frame dwelling served as the residence for the superintendent of Colorado Fuel & Iron Company’s mining and coke oven operations in the Crested Butte area from 1883 until 1952.