FLOOD10384 ‎(2)‎

• County: Statewide
• Title: Natural Resources of Colorado
• Date: 1/1/1963
• Prepared By: US Department of the Interior
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

west, Colorado country is ideal for recreation
activities. In a region of mountain forests,
lakes and streams, in addition to canyons and
other geologic formations and a variety of ad-
ditional spectacular attractions which include
over 50 mountain peaks soaring to heights of
14,000 feet or more, Colorado is one of the fore-
most vacation playgrounds in the Nation.
Colorado is equally famous for its hunting
and fishing. Among the State's many kinds
of game, elk and deer are especially popular..
Expendi tures by hunters and fishermen in Colo-
rado amounted to an estimated $90 million in a
recent survey. In the last 25 years, tourists
have brought more than $3 billion in revenue
to the State.
Superb scenery, world famous skiing, rodeos,
fairs, and many uniquely Western sports and
events bring millions of tourists to the State

production has been a major factor of the State's
economy ever since. When prospectors first
surveyed Colorado's ranging skyline, they had
only the vaguest notion of the great mineral
wealth stored in the mountains. Early pros-
pectors thought only in terms of gold, little
realizing that the mountains and plains contain
approximately 250 useful mineral products, of
which over 35 are now being extracted com-
mercially.
Knowledge of mineral resources has grown
with production so that today the known re-
sources are greater than ever before, despite
continued extraction. 'Mines producing gold,
silver, lead, and copper first brought fame to the
Centennial State but in recent years, fuels have
accounted for more than half the total mineral
output. Even among metals, the old patterns
have shifted. Uranium, molybedum, zinc and

National Park Service ranger points out cloud-banked Shadow Mountain from Lake Branby in Shadow Mountain
National Recreation Area.

every year, and the ideal climate and central
location of Colorado make it a popular spot for
conventions and meetings.

Minerals in Abundance

Bounteous mineral resources were the attrac-
tion that caused the settling of Colorado a little
more than a hundred years ago, and mineral

vanadium are now more important to the State's
economy than lead, copper, or gold and silver.

Land- The basis of progress

Before the gold-hunters penetrated the Pikes
Peak country, farming communities had already
been established by Spanish speaking people in
the southern part of the State. By the end of

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