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<br />_,OD:~27 <br /> <br />-ll- <br /> <br />TABLE 5 <br /> <br />POPUIATION - UHCQ1PAHGRE BASIN <br />PRECINCT TOTALS - U. S. CENSUS REPORTS <br /> <br />Basin Precincts 1920 1930 <br />Ouray County 2620 1784 <br />Montrose County 10196 10771 <br />DBl ta County 4Bll 5389 <br />Totals 17627 171944 <br /> <br />1940 <br />2089 <br />13079 <br />6181 <br />21349 <br /> <br />Comparison of the basin totals with populations in towns indi- <br />oates that prior to the 1940 Census (1939) about 45% of the people lived <br />in the towns and in 1939 the town population had inoreased to about ~% <br />of the basin total. This inorease in urban population corresponds with <br />the apparent faots ooncerning rural population as indioated by laok of <br />inorease in farming activity. In spite of the rather large !';&in in hasin <br />population there has been a oomparatively small gain in land irrigated, <br />(See Chap. III). ' <br /> <br />9. Transportationl <br /> <br />The area ms reaohed by railroad almost immediately after it <br />v.1l.S opened for settlement. By 1882 the branoh line of the Denver and <br />Rio Grande from Grand Junotion had been oompleted through the valley. <br />This vas a standard gp.uge line reaohing as far as 110ntrose. A narrow <br />gauge line to Dallas and Ouray was s tar te d in 1887, and extended from <br />Ridgway to Durango in 1890. The valley was also couIlBoted to the ma.in- <br />line by a narrow gauge road fram Hontrose through Gunnison to Salida. <br /> <br />At present the main branch oonnecting the Denver-Salt !aka <br />line at Grand Junotion is in regular use. The narrow gauge roads to <br />Durango and Gunnison are serving on limited somdules. <br /> <br />Highways now play an important part in serving the transporta- <br />tion needs of the area. Modern highways lead to the markets of both <br />eastern and v.estern Colorado. a s well as to surrounding states by Yl1y <br />of Grand Junction, Durango and Salida. Trucking of produoe has bsoome <br />an important method of reaching necessary markets. <br />