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land in the Grand Junction area. This reservation was dissolved by an 1880 treaty which removed the ute Indians to a new reserva- tion in northeastern Utah. On September 1, 1881, the old Ute Indian reservation was opened for resettlement. After the Indians were forced out of western Colorado, many settlers moved into the area, drawn by claims of the beauty of the area and possibilities for irrigation. The city was named Grand Junc- tion because it lies at the junction of the two largest rivers in the State, Colorado River (then known as Grand River) and Gunnison River. The townsite was laid out in 1881 by George Crawford, a former Kansas governor. In the next year, a railroad spur was built from Gunnison, Colorado, and several irrigation projects were begun. After uranium was discovered, Grand Junction became the center of the extensive mining industry. It continues to be a transporta- tion center for the farming, orchard growing, and livestock indus- tries in the area, as well as a base for various' industrial, corruner- cial, ,and tourism activities. The current population is estimated at 26,000 people by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, an increase of approximately 8 percent since 1970. The population is expected to increase sharply over the next few years because of oil shale development in the area. Colorado River originates high in the Rocky Mountains on the western slope of the Continental Divide. The headwaters, located in Rocky Mountain National Park, are at approximately 12,000 feet. The river flows southwesterly from its headwaters, approximately 200 miles upstream of Grand Junction. At Grand Junction, the river' turns to the northwest and continues in that direction through Colorado. The drainage area at Grand Junction is approximately 17,100 square miles. Indian Wash originates at the foot of the Book Cliffs at approxi- mately 5800 feet and flows approximately 5.5 miles southwesterly to an area just northeast of Walker Field where the U.S. Soil Conservation Service IW-l flood detention structure is located. From there, it flows generally southerly through the City of Grand Junction to its confluence with Colorado River. '. Grand Junction lies at an elevation of approximately 4600 feet in the southern part of the Grand Valley, a wide gently sloping valley defined by high, rock cliffs. To the north, the valley gradually slopes upward for several miles to the base of the Book Cliffs, which rise abruptly to more than 8000 feet. To the south, Grand Junction is flanked by the Uncompahgre Plateau. The natural vegetation of the Grand Valley, where not disturbed by human encroachment, consists of desert shrubs such as winterfat and sagebrush, cottonwood trees, willow trees, and an understory 4