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<br />BACKGROOND INFORl.!ATIQN <br /> <br />SETTLEMENT <br /> <br />from near 13,000 feet mean se~ level (~.s. I.) near thEl Contlnenta I <br />Divide to near 4700 feet ...5.1. at the basin's confluence with fhe <br />South Platte River. Vegetation In the basin varlesconslderably <br />relative to the basin topography. Forested areas and grasslands <br />~re typical of the mountal nous region of the basin. I n the pia Ins <br />region, the vegetatIon Is typified by agricultural crops, grass- <br />lands, and Intormlttent shndsof timber especially adjacflnt to <br />streams. Climate In the basin is semiarid varying with the topog- <br />raphy. Ingeneral,warmsurm1ersandmlldtocoldwlntersprevall. <br />Intense thunderstorms, sometimes of cloudburst IntensIty, can <br />occurdurlngthesurrrnarmonths. The following table gives climJ- <br />tologlcal data for the Big Thompson River bosln vicinity. <br /> <br />The settlement of Colorado essentially began In 1540 when <br />Don Francesco De Coronado and his party entered the region. These <br />SpaniardS found many tribes of indlans. The Ute, Arap(lhoe, and <br />Cheyenne Indian TrIbes resided In the mountain araas and on the <br />plains to the east. Later, in 1806 and In 1820,respectlvely, <br />Zebulon Pike and Stephen H. Long explored the area, each discover- <br />Inj:J (I rr.ountaln peak that tod(lY baars thalrname. Furtradorsand <br />mountain men also explorad the araa in the early 1800's and con- <br />tributed tothollventual settl6/llentofthearw. The search for <br />wealth and st~tus, however, brought on by the gold rush of 1858 <br />contrIbuted roost to tho sottlomentot COlor",do. This rush brought <br />not only gold seekers but merchants, fclrmers, (lnd ranchers who <br />establlshedpermanentsottlements. <br /> <br />Table I <br />8ig Thompson River Basin YicinltyClif!leltological Data.!! <br /> <br />Tha Big Thompson RI~er ~a Iley In W"ld l:Ounty waS settled <br />In the early i860',;; the InforWlI community of HI I Ist>oro waS estab- <br />Ilshlld around the ranch home of George H,II. Mr. HI II established <br />il systam of d I tell l,rIGiltl"n fur rai si n" whe"t "od ha~ on tho river <br />bottom. This ditch 15 stIli I II oDoratlon. The ~rrlvill of railroadS <br />Inilbout 1910broughtat>outsO/'lo Industrial development. Thev(llley, <br />a Ithough not large I n ~rOIl, ~ti II re<na ins a prime IIj:Jricultur,,1 "rell <br />specIalizing In Irrigated corn, sugar baets, ~nd dairy products. <br /> <br />Locatio~ <br /> <br />'~eJn A~nua I <br />Prec1pltatlon <br />(Inches) <br /> <br />July Meao <br />Temperature <br />(OF) <br /> <br />J(lnu(lry Mea, <br />Temperature <br />(OF) <br /> <br />Fort Collins <br /> <br />14.94 <br /> <br />"10,8 <br /> <br />26.8 <br /> <br />2MllesEast- <br />$outhO(lstot <br />Post Office I... <br />Longrr.ont <br /> <br />12.74 <br /> <br />71.6 <br /> <br />26.8 <br /> <br />Creeley <br /> <br />12,20 <br /> <br />73.3 <br /> <br />24.5 <br /> <br />Estes Park <br /> <br />15.87 <br /> <br />62.2 <br /> <br />27.1 <br /> <br />TI1ESTREAA1A~ ITS VALLEY <br /> <br />1! <br /> <br />This data was compiled from NJtlonal Weather Service records <br />fcr 1<)~I-ln0. <br /> <br />The Illg Thompson River bas;n drains an ar"", ot about tHO <br />square miles in north central Colorado. 01 these 830 square ",i les, <br />approximately 610 $quare ~lles are mountainous and 220 square ~llos <br />are plains. The baSin is about 60 mllas long and about 50 miles <br />wide at Its most ex+r""", polnh. [Iev(ltlons In thl! ba~in range <br /> <br />The Big Thomp,-on RI~er has Its source in Rocky ~~untain <br />Natl ona I Park ne(lr ~.li I ner P~5S. From th I s a re(l t~e r I ~er Ilows In <br />~ qan'lral east..r 11 direction to Its cont luence wi th the So~th <br />Platto Ri~ar about 5 miles southwest 01 Greeley. The portion of <br /> <br />1 <br />