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<br />0019'75 <br /> <br />3.7 Cultural Resources: Prehistory and History <br /> <br />3.7.1 Prehistory <br /> <br />Southwest Colorado contains numerous archeological sited dating to both the prehistoric and <br />historic period. Some of the highest densities of cultural remains in the Southwest occur within <br />Montezuma County. These cultural remains have been the subject of archeological research for <br />many years. A literature review of the Mancos Project area was conducted at Bureau of <br />Reclamation and Forest Service offices in Durango, Colorado and at th~,Solorado Office of <br />Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Despite its proximity to Me~.a,Verd~, very few <br />prehistoric archaeological resources have been recorded in the Pr()jec.~ area. This is perhaps due <br />to the environmental setting, being on the western slope of the La Plata 'Mountains. Only one <br />prehistoric site considered eligible to the National Register ofB:istoricl>l~S~s (National <br />Register)-a Pueblo IIIPueblo ill habitation - has been recQrged in the gerierW.,:,project area. <br />Therefore, prehistoric site density is rather low; most sites in ilie project area'C14te to the historic <br />period." <br /> <br />3.7.2 History <br /> <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />Settlement and irrigation of the Mancos\!~ley began about 1876.~ The natural flow of the <br />Mancos River during the months of July, Allgr.a~.~~ and Septemberi~;y'ery low, and the irrigation <br />water supply for these months was inadequa~e.By,l~9:3' when a Sfa!e;adjudication of water was <br />made, late summer demands for irrigation water farex.9~4~d the sllPply. To alleviate the <br />shortage, three small reservoirs storing approximat~ly 1,500i~(;re-feet of water were built by <br />local irrigation organizatiguM .,'.., <br />...- . <br />.-':'.-,.-' .-., <br />_,_i,~':;;"-'. ~i,-~::; :-: <br /> <br />In 1937, Bureau of.~~i~~~tion i.......... tigations led\tq th,e conclusion that the Jackson Gulch <br />Reservoir site, an off Stfe~.~ton.\.g~>b~sin, was the:btily site of sufficient size to furnish an <br />adequate proj~SJ};\',~t~r suppl:' . i,;nhaVt~~~,:J~~:gf0ject did not appear economically feasible but <br />it received+:llljflier~10~R~\geration":,~~,ger the WateF Conservation and Utilization Act of August 11, <br />1939. ~<ttID.led projed;inY:<f,~tigati.6~~~:~~nitia.ted in November 1940, followed approval of the <br />proj~9ti;,(.fhe project was'app~oved B'Y:t1)e'President on October 21, 1940, under the Water <br />Con~er,;'~tit~nand UtilizatioIi;~ogram~A~t of August 11, 1939 (53 Stat. 1418), as amended <br />October 14:;;t~~Q (54 Stat. 1f~~). Construction was started on July 24, 1941, and completed on <br />May 18, 1950:tl'~~ first wat~t::from Jackson Gulch Reservoir was delivered to the water users <br />in 1949. ConstrUcti~l).for thj.sproject was delayed by World War n. The Civilian Conservation <br />Corps (CCC) started(t~'~l.l41a the dam under Bureau of Reclamation supervision. In March 1942, <br />the CCC organization ~as disbanded and a group of Civilian Public Service assignees resumed <br />the construction work-by contract after the war ended. The major project works were completed <br />between May 1947 and December 1948. Operation and maintenance of the project was <br />transferred to the Mancos Water Conservancy District on January 1, 1963. <br /> <br />All but one of the historic period sites (six total) recorded in the project area are associated with <br />irrigation development. Four sites are considered eligible or potentially eligible to the National <br />Register. An unrecorded portion of the Denver-Rio Grande railroad bed (as indicated by USGS <br /> <br />24 <br />