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<br />PREFACE
<br />
<br />Th.U. ILtpo<< de.Unw..tu 6t.ood.i.It!l .ill the s.tvt.Ung, CclcllJJ.oo
<br />vici..otUy 6Mm the Sou.th P!<tUe RivVI. and Pawnee C!l.tek. The ,shLdlJ
<br />UMh 06 the. Sou.tlt Ptlttte IUVVl. ex.tt.1ld6 6!Wm abou.t 2 mUM uphVi.tdm
<br />bJ about 2 mdu dcWlt4Vleam 61l.Cm the U.S. Highwa.y 6 bJUd.ge OIlVl. the.
<br />Sou..th Pta.t;.Q I<<w.Jt.. The Pawnee Clteek Hwl!! ILtJlch .u. the. Mta 06
<br />stvtUng .subject ~ Pawnee Cileell 6t.oodlut.tVt utending along the. 4<l111t
<br />l.inl.Ut. <u the Sott.th Pt<ttte IUveA. laotd u.6e in the .uudif "well<<
<br />b<U.>.i.ta.U." a.g1t.iClLUu.Ml, .i.n.dJJJ..tJLLal, CQmm~, c.nd ILe.JroUlti.at.
<br />
<br />BACKGROlJND!NFORMATION
<br />
<br />SETTLEMENT
<br />
<br />Th.U ILe.po-U wu plt.epaltw 601l. the gtU.dance 06 lcCil! oUi.
<br />C!ia.t4 in plann.i.ng -the. WIt aM lLegu.ta.ti.on 06 .the (,lood pla.in. TIlXl
<br />pot.ential MeoM WeAl uhed h:J ILtpltuent deglte.u 0(, mltjOll. (,lcodU!:l
<br />tha..t may oceWl. in the (,tl.tM.e. Thue two 6loocU, the 100-yeM. a.nd
<br />the SOO-lfeM, Me de6.&1td hi the G.t.c.!.4aJt,y and .should be given applW-
<br />p.t.i.a..te. cOn,!.w.e/UlWn in ptan~rtg (,011. M(,U!f 0(, devwl""ellt .in the.
<br />(,teed"ta.i.n. Tlte;()I,JQ potential. (,looM M.e (,Wt.thVt de6ined by
<br />6tcode.d <t/lW. map4 .tha.t .sMW the <tppJtoUlncu':e M.ea4 tha.t <<<Iutd be
<br />inwtda.te.d. FlDod pJW6ilu .show the wa..ttA de:ptM 'l.Ua..Ulle tc the
<br />4t1tMmbed and alced ettva..Uol'..6 <l.C'W'!''!' the wUth 06 t1!.e vaUe.lJ.
<br />CM.64 4e.ct.i.on.\ Me p!l.ueltted to .i1lcU.c./tt:e gllDWld tevet aCIWM the
<br />valleyattdtheoveJLt!fi.1l9 61..t.J0dde.p.th4, The 6lccdFJ'l.OM.lu alld
<br />6tooded oVI.ea da.t4 p1lueM.ed Me btUed 011 tile e:d4.ti.ng ecl\d.U.i.ctt4 06
<br />the. ba4.Ut, 4Vl.1!4IIl, alld vaUe!f whell the. "-epc1l..t l\W plI.epalled. PC44.i~
<br />bte 6u..tlvle.l.mpllDvernenU to eclt-Owt 6iood.6 Me.l'lOta COIl4M:l1?lllLtW1I
<br />06.th.U.!te.palt.t. Thein.60MT<t.tioIl.iIl.tki.s1lepclttdoul'lOti.m~yan.1J
<br />Fe.dVUtt.iltte.1lut01l.au.tholLd.(f:tozo>te0ll-1lequ1.o..teU4e06the6lood
<br />p(n,i1l;:t:hi.4 'u'<'I.laca.t1lupcMibil.i..ty. The 1le.pa1tt FJ'I.OvM:lu a4ui.t-
<br />aUe b.u..w 11011. dul. l1.dopWII o~ /.4.nd Me CMtMt.s :to gu.i.de 6tood
<br />plaill duwpmen.t i4Uh cOMid1?/l.Mi.o1l 6M ellvwwnen.ta1 a.t.tIUbu..tt.4,
<br />theMby p"-evert.U.ng 'uu;ell.l.i6(.clLtUlII 06 to44 pIlDbteftl4. Bec.alL4e the
<br />1l.eptMt .i..den.ti.6.i.u 6locd pllDbtl?1M, .i..t KIi..U 4ti.mu.to..te the developmVl.t
<br />Oft othVl Uocd damage 1leducwlI tedut.iqwu 4....d1 a4 it.cod ecllbtot,
<br />1li1lWvat 06 Cb4tJw.c.ti.cIl4, and 6tood pM06.ing; thue techJl.i.quu m.(ght
<br />btUhedi>:al1ovvo..4l.lFtocdPl.u>:.'.11v.a9V>:U.t iFfM) p.-tog.'tam.
<br />
<br />The settlement of Colo~ado essentially began In 1540
<br />when Oon Francesco De Coronado and his party entered the region.
<br />These Spaniards found many tribes of Indians. The Ute, Arapahoe,
<br />and Cheyenne Indian Tribes resided In thB mountain areas and On
<br />the plains to the east. Later. In \806 and In 1820,respecTlvely,
<br />Zebulon Pike and Stephen H. Long explored the area, each dlsoover-
<br />ingamountainpeakthattodaybearsthelrnarTl9, Fur traders and
<br />mountain men also explored the area In the early 1800'S and con-
<br />tributed to the eventual settlement of the area, The search for
<br />wealth and status, however, brought on by the gold rush of 1858
<br />contributed most to the settlement of Colorado. This rush brought
<br />not only gold seekers but merchants, farme~s. and ranchers who
<br />establiShed permanent settlements.
<br />
<br />At the iteq....u..t 06 Logan. CcurW; dvwu.gh the Coto-tado Wo..tv>.
<br />COMC"-va..ti.on SaMd..th.u. Ii.l!.,OOlttW!UI pitepalte.d by the Omaha. f)<<.ou.u,
<br />COli.p<l06 Eng.uuwu, u.ndeAthecontinu..iIl9a.u.tIwILd.YP"-IlvM:led.in
<br />Section 106 06 the 1960 Ftcod Contli.ot Act lPubt.i.e Law 86-6451, a4
<br />a./lI~l1d~d.
<br />
<br />Stlilrllng, Colo~ado was founded in 1881. It "as named
<br />fo~ Ste~1 lng, IllinoIs, thlil hometown of Un Ion Paclf Ie Rail road
<br />surveyor David Jeanltt. It Isthlillargestcorrrnunity In north-
<br />edstern Colorado having a 1976 population of 11,240. SterlIng Is
<br />the cen1'e~ Of '" la.-g." "'!l.-lc" Itur,,1 ~r..a sp"clallzlng In catTle
<br />raising. b01il1 processing, I ~rlglltlild farmIng, an<l whlilat farming.
<br />Oil and touri5rn arc also Important to the economy of the area.
<br />
<br />bl.teli.UU
<br />
<br />The C.OOpeJl<t.t.W1I 06 toea.(. oH.ic..Ult6 a.nd pu.bUc an.d P4iva.te
<br />.in pIlDv.uting <t4,s.u.tal1ce aM .in6"ltln<1.tWn l\W rno4t hel,:>6rd.
<br />
<br />THE STREAM AND ITS vALLEY
<br />The South Platte River drains an area of approximately
<br />18,000 squil~e mi les upstream from Sterling. The wtlstern boundary
<br />of this basin is formed by the Continental Divide wIth elevations
<br />up to about 14,200 feet mean sea levAI (m.~.I.) Md the ldrarnle
<br />rlang<.> "itl1 elevati0n~ v!' to ..oo"t I 0,000 feet m.s.l. The mountain
<br />arna known ~s South Park Is located in the southwestern ~rtlon 01
<br />
<br />V.uWbu..t.Wllodthl'.lI.epolLttoo66.ic..Utt4, agVldu, a.nd
<br />illd.i.V.idu.a14 c.oncVlJ'!W ~ piMtWtg hi the Mea coviVled wU.l be made
<br />by Logan Cou.rW;. The CaltP4 06 fl1g-inee.11.4 wU.t pMv.ide .illtl'.ltpll.eta.don
<br />""d uc.hlUc.alll4,s.wntnc.e. i' II.tqu.e.ste.d,.i/l the a.ppUc.oti"lI 06 the
<br />II.cpo!t.t da.t4. O.thu gu.i:ddUtu a.vo..Ua.bte 61lDm .the COIi.p<l 06 fl1gine.e.11.4
<br />M.e.a.;mnpht.e.t,"Gu..i.de.Unu6olt"~gFtoodf)a.ma.gu",a.Itda.bolJ~-
<br />lu, "In.twdu.c.tWn:to Fl..t.Jod PiWo6ing".
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