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<br />.. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />'" <br /> <br />001222 <br /> <br />SUBSTANTIATING REPORT <br /> <br />. <br />. <br /> <br />GENERAL DESCRIPTION <br /> <br />52. Physical description of area. - The Purgatoire diver is a com- <br /> <br /> <br />bination mountain and plains stream having its origin on the Eastern Slope <br /> <br /> <br />of the Sangre de Cristo Range at the western border of Las Animas County, <br /> <br /> <br />Colorado. It rises at an elevation of slightly more than 13,000 feet <br /> <br /> <br />above mean sea level and drops to 6,000 feet at Trinidad, 40 miles beLOW <br /> <br /> <br />the headwaters. About 35 river miles farther east, the river enters a <br /> <br /> <br />canyon through which it flows for about 100 miles, and then 157 miles be- <br /> <br /> <br />low Trinidad, it joins the Arkansas River in Bent County, near Las <br /> <br /> <br />Animas, Coloraao at an elevation of about 3,860 feet above mean sea level. <br /> <br /> <br />,3. Early development. - Las Animas County was separated fro~ the <br /> <br /> <br />southeastern part of Huerfano County by an act of territorial legisla- <br /> <br /> <br />tion approved February 9, 1866. Prior to 1859 there was VAry little <br /> <br /> <br />settlement in the area, the greatest development coming after the Civil <br /> <br /> <br />War. "Squatter rights" constituted the first means of securing posses- <br /> <br /> <br />sion of land, foll~{ed by fee title after land office surveys had been <br /> <br />made. <br />