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<br />U'~ Indi"n' "Hupi~d va,iou' por!> of th~
<br />Uncompahgre Valle)' lor hundred, 01 yea"
<br />prior to lh~ .dvent of Spani,h expedition"
<br />which ~'plored the r~gion beginning in 1541
<br />and ,h~n la'e, in 176.5 and 1776, Ame,ican
<br />explor"" ,eeking route, tothe Pacifictravers~d
<br />the are. in th" 1850'1 and 11l1i0,\,Thedilcovery
<br />of gold and ,ilve, in Ihe 1670's I~d to the
<br />c,tabli;hrnentolmanyminingcamp'andtown,
<br />in Ihe San Juan Mountains, and numerous
<br />wttlcrs t'ntered thear~" during the 1680's and
<br />1690's after the Indians were removed to a
<br />re,e,vation in Utah in 1881. Monuo,e wa,
<br />founded in 1882_ In its early days, the town
<br />,erved as a center for Ir<'ightingactivili~'and a,
<br />o ,upply cenlerlo, ,utrounding callie and
<br />sheep ranche,. Olathe was establi,hed around
<br />1882 a, a ,witch point on lhe Dcnver and Rio
<br />Grande We'lern Railroad, Originally called
<br />Colorow, aher a Ule Indian Chief, il became
<br />known officially al Olathe in 1896. The town
<br />grew a,J service Center for,urrounding farm,
<br />and ranch".,
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<br />.... I;!GINS S!ITI~NS
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<br />The Denv<,r and Rio Grande We$tern
<br />Railroad compleled a line through Ihe
<br />Uncompahgre River region in Iheearly 1880",
<br />ThefailroJd and freightinglndumie, helped to
<br />advance settlement, and, with the decline 01
<br />mining, re.id..nl, 01 th,> region turned to
<br />div",I-C agricultural pursuit>. Orchard, were
<br />"artedinthevJlleyalthaltimeand.bythelurn
<br />nf th" [<'ntury. fruit proouction wa. w,>1I
<br />e'tabli$hed,Severalirrigalionconvey,mc".nd
<br />di,,,;bUlinn 'y"""" (compl'-'1",lduring lh"
<br />1880',! and the Uncompahgre Project-
<br />Gunni\Qn Tunnel (compleled in 1909 to divert
<br />waler lor irrigation pUfpo'e' from the Gunni-
<br />,on River to the L;ncompahg",Vallcyl funher
<br />,limulated growth of agriculture. The area
<br />remainedpredom;n.lntlydevoledtoagricultute
<br />.nd ranching until .bOUI1950, Allhough
<br />agricultural employment dedined thereafter
<br />due to increa.edlarmlileandconsolidalion 01
<br />f.rrn$, th"ecorromyoflhestudVdfe. b.,icallv
<br />relaim a div.."ified agricultural foundation.
<br />~om" ot Ihe mor" important agricultural
<br />pUfSui" are produrlionof liv<"tOl'k and hyc-
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<br />FLOOD HAiUU IHQ!UIION
<br />UN(;a~PUf.H lliE~
<br />~ON1ROSE, COLORAUD
<br />GENERAL MAP
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<br />GUUtSQH
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<br />COUNTl
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<br />(;OUMll
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<br />DRAINAGE AREA
<br />
<br />Th,' Uncomp..hWe River ",e. h,gh on lhe
<br />northern ,lop..., of tlw San),..nMounta,,,,,a
<br />>ubrdngeoflheR<>dy\.-1ountaim.ltflov>,ona
<br />
<br />,tock products; leed for li"";tock; v~riou$
<br />fruitl; and 'Ugaf beets. bean',onions, and
<br />potatoe,.Mining,p.rticularlyforvanadiumand
<br />uranium, remains Ihe ,{>cond largest induSlfy in
<br />the area. However, tourism and recreation,
<br />government a''iOciated employment, and relail
<br />,ervlcesandtradehaveincrcaledtremendoully
<br />in imporlance in lhepa't 20.30yeors, and the
<br />area,e'peciallythecityofMontrme,nowh...
<br />varied economic b~'e.
<br />In Monlro,e, all leyel,ofgovernment-c!ly,
<br />county, Itate, and federal--~re repre.ented,
<br />and lhcavailJbility of retail good,and ",rvice,
<br />i,concentratedlhefe, Re,ldentialdevelopment
<br />h"s been lairly constant through IheyeMs,
<br />mostiy within the city and, more recently, in
<br />adjoining urban arca"Commercial enterpri,es
<br />have expanded quite f"pidly becaule the city i,
<br />centrallylOCJtedand,e,pcciallyduringlhelasl
<br />10-20 years, due to the iarge inflow of touriSI'
<br />and re;:reationlsts, Indullrial growth ha. been
<br />minimal except fora recentlycompleled candy
<br />factory, which ha' about seven hundred
<br />ernployees.lnOlalhe,populationha,remained
<br />fairly constant over the la,t40.SOyears.nd
<br />thefe ha, been minim~1 commerci~i and
<br />indu<trial developm"nt. The town remaj", a
<br />Im.11. .ell-'ufficient agricul!l,)ral community.
<br />There .re five r--.ational for"'!I, two National
<br />monuments, the San Juan Mounloin', historic
<br />mining 10wns, and sevetal ski ar"as nearby.
<br />The Uncompahgre Valley begin'al the ba,e
<br />of lhe L;ncomp.hgre Plaleau a fewmile$,outh
<br />ofColonJ.ltutendsno,thwardJbout40miles
<br />to tc,min..te ot the Gunnison River, The valley,
<br />which i, .bOUl 20 mile, wide in ilsmiddle and
<br />lower portion'. slope. gently northward
<br />between loothills and steep .ided me,as and
<br />plaleam thaI are barren excepl for lhe hardiest
<br />vegetalion.lnlhe'ludyrf'Jch,lh"princip.,1
<br />tribut~rie. to the river ar<, Hor",f1y. H~ppy
<br />Canyon, and 5pting Cr",,"s from the west, and
<br />Dry Cedar and Cedar Creekl from thc east,Thc
<br />Vlip". Montro,,, .no:! Dplta, .no ItOn'tnnp
<br />Canal> carry irrigJtion water to th~ we'l. and
<br />Loull<,nhizer.Sdig, and [a'ICanals carry illO
<br />theea'l,
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<br />north-northwe""rl,' cOur,,, through it' moun-
<br />tain ,,,"che, ond the "uo:!y "'dCh,ond 101"
<br />""'uth.1 the GUlln""", Ri"", whi<'h i'Jd",'u
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