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soil survey of Huerfano County Area, Colorado By M. Bruce McCullough. David L. Anderson. Mark C. Neeley John Sampson, Gregory L. Snell, Richard C. Stover, and Timothy J. Wheeler, Soil Conservation Service United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service in cooperation with Colorado Agricuitural Experiment Station HUERFANO COUNTY AREA includes all of Huerfano County except for the part that is in the San Isabel National Forest. The total area is 873,000 acres. The totai population of Huerfano County in 1970 was 6,590, nearly all of which was in the survey area. Walsenburg, the county seat, has a population of 4,329 (23). general nature of the survey area This section discusses the history and development; physiography, relief, and drainage; natural resources; water supply; agriculture; and climate in the survey area. history and development In November 1861, Huerfano County was established from the original boundaries of the St. Vrain and Vigil land grant (6). An isolated volcanic cone in the northeastern part of the county was a landmark for early Spanish expeditions and was called the Huerfano, meaning "orphan," Butte, for which the county was named. The county originally encompassed a large area that was divided into Baca, Bent, Huerfano, Las Animas, Otero, and Prowers Counties and part of Pueblo County in 1867 (15). The Ute. Comanche, and Arapahoe Indians inhabited the survey area when the first Spanish explorers passed through it. Jose Fabian Baca and Pedro Martinez were two of the first settlers in the area. They established ranches 2 miles east of Badito on the Huerfano River. In 1862, John Francisco and Henry Daigre established the town presently called La Veta. These early settlers were largely dependent on crop and livestock production (4). In 1865, approximately 3,000 acres along the Huerfano and Cucharas Rivers were under cultivation. August Sporleder, Otto Unfug, and Fred Walsen were early settlers in the (16) Plaza de Los Leones area, which later became Walsenburg. The extension of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1876 opened up trade in this area. The Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation opened the Walsen Coal Mine in 1876, which started an economic boom (3). Coal production peaked between 1915 and 1920, when Huerfano County ranked second in coal production statewide. Increased use of oil and gas for energy, however, led to the decline of coal production. In 1918, 37 mines were in production, but by 1970 there were only two active mines. Beef production is now the principal industry in the survey area. Huerfano was the first county in Colorado to raise registered Hereford cattle. The first county seat was Autobees Plaza. The county seat was moved to Badito in 1867 when the county was reorganized. Walsenburg, presently the principal city in Huerfano County, was incorporated in 1873, and it became the county seat in 1874. La Veta was incorporated in 1886. Other communities in the county are Cuchara, Farisita, Gardner, Pryor, and Red Wing. physiography, relief, and drainage Huerfano County Area is in two physiographic provinces. The western half of the area is in the Southern Rocky Mountain province, and the eastern half is in the Great Plains province. Several distinct physiographic areas are in the parts of these two provinces that are included in the survey area. These 1