Boulder County applies for grants to document Japanese American farm history, assess Las Barracas
County commissioners approved two grant applications: one to document Japanese American agricultural landscapes and another for an archaeological assessment of Las Barracas near Longmont.
Boulder County commissioners on June 23 approved applications for two preservation grants: a $24,910 Placekeepers Fund request to document Japanese American agricultural landscapes in the county and a $20,000 History Colorado State Historical Fund request for an archaeological assessment of Las Barracas near Longmont, county meeting records show.
The larger request, titled Documentation and Preservation Planning for The Barracks and Associated Japanese American Agricultural Landscapes of Boulder County, would use Las Barracas and the former Tanaka Farm as anchor sites for archival research, oral history interviews and GIS mapping, according to the county agenda packet.
County materials say the project would document historic farm properties, agricultural landscapes, labor housing and related community spaces tied to Japanese American farming in Boulder County. The county also said the work would recognize the labor histories of Latine, Chicano, Mexican and Kickapoo workers connected to those farming operations.
The separate History Colorado application would fund a site-specific archaeological assessment of Las Barracas, a historic agricultural labor housing site near Longmont. Proposed work includes archival research, pedestrian survey, metal detection, mapping, site documentation and limited subsurface testing if appropriate, the application materials say.
County materials say Las Barracas is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places or the Colorado State Register. But a July 22, 2025, letter from History Colorado’s Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation said the property “appears to meet the criteria for evaluation and nomination” to the National Register, according to the county packet.
The county says the site is significant because it is one of the last surviving agricultural labor barracks in Boulder County and reflects intertwined histories of Mexican and Mexican American farm labor and Japanese American agriculture. County materials also say a National Register nomination is already being prepared.
If awarded, the grants would support future preservation planning and interpretation at Las Barracas, including the nomination effort, possible historic structure assessment work, preservation treatment recommendations, more archaeological investigation if warranted, and future exhibits, educational programming and digital storytelling, the grant materials say.
Commissioners approved the applications on the consent agenda without separate discussion, meeting minutes show.