Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br />. <br /> <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />@ <br /> <br />Narrows Unit <br /> <br />Colorado <br /> <br />No.1 May, 1982 <br /> <br /> <br />It was after the Civil War that the first farmers, <br />ranchers, and other settlers followed the Overland <br />Trail into northeastern Colorado to settle in the <br />South Platte River Valley. The bloody Plains <br />Indian War was over, and the railroads would soon <br />be hammered into place. <br /> <br />Before the end of the 19th century, South Platte <br />country would become one of Colorado's most <br />productive agricultural areas. Much of the success <br />was due to farming methods that included diver, <br />ting water from the South Platte River into ditches <br />and fields. Yet, even in these early times, a major <br /> <br />problem persisted: when the mountain sI:low <br />turned into heavy spring runoff, the valley was <br />flooded; and during times of drought, there was not <br />enough water to irrigate the thirsty crops. <br /> <br />Farmers dreamed about building a dam and <br />reservoir on the South Platte in northeastern <br />Colorado since the late 1800's. Yet, it wasn't until <br />1944 that Congress first authorized the Bureau of <br />Reclamation to construct a project at a site called <br />the Narrows just west of Fort Morgan, <br /> <br />The project was reauthorized in 1970, but activity <br />stopped 7 years later when Federal funding was <br />halted. <br /> <br />Department of the Interior . Bureau of Reclamation <br />