Miner Key is a 15-minute work starting at the top of the hour and playing on a continuous loop (4x per hour) from 1-4pm daily during BIFA.
Hiking Distance: 3 mile round trip
From the Blue River Plaza, drive north on Main Street two blocks and turn right onto Wellington Road. Follow Wellington Road 1.1 miles to the intersection of Wellington and French Gulch Road. At the stop sign, stay right and follow French Gulch Road as it turns to dirt. After passing the Country Boy Mine on the right, make your first right turn into the B&B Mine Trailhead Parking Lot. Once parked, access the B&B Trailhead and follow the signs for the B&B Trail for approximately 1 mile. Turn left at the Reiling Dredge interpretative site and follow the path to the lower viewing area for the best listening experience.
ADA Accessible
The Reiling dredge operated from 1909 until it sank in 1922. Miner Key is a site-specific sonic experience inspired by the history, sound, shape, texture, rhythm, and beauty of the Reiling Dredge. It recalls a time when this place was teeming with mining enterprises, oblivious and in stark contrast to the pristine natural environment, and envisions the past in the context of the present.
Visitors to the Trail Mix Miner Key exhibition at Breck Create can now enjoy an audio excerpt from Helen Rich’s “The Willow Bender,” read by Jerry Dziedzic. This captivating historical story about mining in Colorado brings the past to life, enhancing the immersive experience of the exhibition. Be sure to listen and let the words transport you as you explore the trail.
Bill Orisich is one of three featured artists in the 2024 Trail Mix as a part of Breck Create’s signature annual festival, BIFA. Trail Mix combines art + nature, with hikers and bikers following a trail to an art installation.
In the early 1900’s, dredges aggressively turned the rivers and streams of Breckenridge upside down in the mining industry’s quest for gold. The dredges were so destructive (and profitable) that nothing stood in their way, not even houses in their path. Disruptive, loud and on a 24/7 schedule, the cacophony they created was a constant maddening ambience, although to some it may have been a musical symphony of sounds. The dredges left behind the distinctive piles of river rocks still visible today around Breckenridge.
Built from the sounds of the dredging process and the natural world, the 15-minute piece creates a powerful and engaging soundscape. Sonic depictions of digging, rock crushing, steam engines, water, voices working, local species and weather are edited, treated, looped, integrated and arranged with musical instruments. The sounds change as listeners move toward the dredge.
Although not primarily historical in nature, Miner Key aims to inspire listeners to appreciate the current beauty and significance of the site, explore the history and environmental impact dredging created, and imagine a past time when this area was alive with activity, both industrial and natural.
Bill Orisich is a filmmaker, musician/sound artist, photographer based in Breckenridge, CO. His work ranges from sound art, films, and music, to multi-channel visual/audio installations. He is inspired by exploring the response a site and its history can evoke, especially the human/nature dichotomy. Research, experimentation, and collaboration are key elements in Bill’s work, as is the search for the tension, humor, and mystery contained therein.
Bill’s art work has been presented in numerous exhibits and film festivals, including the 5-channel collaborative video installation: ground loop, at Whitespace gallery in 2018; when I whistle, a 3-channel, site-specific installation at the historic Swan House in Atlanta in 2016; and horse drawn piano, a moving sound/sculptural performance piece for Flux Night, Atlanta in 2013. In 2023 Bill’s photographs have been in exhibitions at CPAC in Denver; projected in downtown Denver as part of photography month; In August he created a sound piece for the installation, Invisible Matters, in Rochester, NY; and has ongoing music projects.
His film production company Whoa! Films, has been creating award winning commercial, and educational videos for over 30 years. It serves as a creative hub and production resource for his art projects and a training ground for emerging media makers and musicians. He received his BA and MS degrees respectively in Fine Arts and Education/media design from Indiana University. He’s also taught animation as part of the National Endowment for the Arts Artist-In-Schools program, among other workshops.
Bill gets energy and inspiration from being active outdoors in the mountains.
Vocalist: Shana Cohen
News voice: Richard Sudden
Worker voices:
Tim Bennett
John Gale
Bill Head
Ethan Orisich
Carlton Patterson
Tenor sax: Bill Head
Other instruments: Bill Orisich
Historical resources:
Bill Fountain, Author, Historian
Larissa O’Neil, Breckenridge History
Technical support: Matt Hurley
Excerpts from The Willow Bender by Helen Rich, 1950
