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BJl.CKGROIJNOI/'."FORMA'l'ION The Streams and Their Valleys TheCucharas (alsaknolffiastheCucharal River has its headwaters on the eastern slope af the Culebra Range of the Rocky Mountains. 7he river drains an are~ of about 735 square miles and flows in a northeasterly direction for about 59 miles from its source to its junctio~ with the lruerfano River. The Cucharas River Valley is divided into thr(!e sections; (1) the mountainous h"ad- wator section above La Veta, with deep and narrow gorges; (2) a comparatively wide alluvial valley some 30 miles long below La Veta; and (3) a canyon section through which the Cucharas River flows to its junction with th., Hu"rfano River. Pertinentdrainageareil.sof the study area are given in Table 1. The headwater section of the Cucharas River above La Veta is very mountainous, reaching an altitude of 13,623 feet above mean Sea level. The mountain slopes are steep and rough and support dens~ stands of spruce-fir, ponderosa pine, and pinon pine-juniper. Other vegetiOtionincludesdspen,oakbrush,lio.urel,variousgri1ssesand numerous """,11 pl"f,ts. Th~ ar,;" "..tween L" Y"t" ""d elo" tr..".mt..i;,~, about" five Mile radius from La Yeta, is charactcriRtic pf grass- covered roiling hilis with scattered pinon and j~nipcr. Middle Creek has its SOUrce in the Culebra Range west of La Veta and flows in an easterly direction for about seven miles to jOin the Cucharas River just north of La Yeta. The watershed char- acteristics are similar to those of the Cucharas River. ~limate in tn" Huertano ~ounty area can Ce ccparate~ ~ntD two bro<<<l ~one" -- the pl..ins are.. and the lI\Ountainous area. In the plainsz.one,pr"cipitationislowandcomesprimdrilyinth""".rly spring<>.ndlatesUIl1ll'ler. Thell'lOuntaincuszonehasanannualpre- oipitation of about 16.5 inches and abo~t half of this c<meS as snow in the winter. At CUch<>.ra Camps, north of La Veta, the <>.verage annual rainfall is 23.9 inches. E~treme yearly records at Cuchar.. SetUenent La Veta is located about 16 miles southwest of Walsenburg in southern Color.~do. The area is nestled in the foothills of the scenic Sangre de Cristo Mountain r<>.nge at an elevation of 6,182 feet and has as its backdrop the legendary and majestic SpaniSh Peaks. Originally 1"\,>Ined "Huajatolla" by the Indian settlers, these twin mountains are steeped in romantic lore and have served as a guiding landmark from the days of the early settlers and explorers down to thepres"ntinhabitants. The surrounding area was first settled by Spanish Amer- icans who migrated from what is now Nc", llexico. At that time important agricultural products were wheat and cattle. Coal "'as discovered in 1846 and the first mine was opened in 1867. Inthe 1870's the Santa re and the Rio Grande Railroads e~tended lines into the region. The arrival of the railroads started inten"e dcv"luptll"ntof th""oal fields and by o""nlnS up n,,"'marl<ets, stirnu.1ated the cattle industry. Much of the coal is excellent for making ooke and there WaS a ~rddual expansion of coke manufacturing in the region. During this period of coal and coke production, great numbers of immigrants were brought into the area to work the mines. The majority of these i~igrants were Italian. Today the population of Huerfano County reflects a large percentage of ~pan~sn ana lta~~an surnames. Coal and coke production beqan to decline in 1926. Today, only one mine remains open in the region. With this decline, many of the minors turned to cattle raiSing and fa~ing. Agriculture, especially cattle raising, r.,mains an important industry in the area. In recent years, touri"", has becorne an 1Jnportant part of the local economy. c............ L"''''~ <Lv", ~v.n ~"~''',,.. ~" lS~3 ..... ;'~.C~ ~"~he,, ..." 19iC. , ,