PROJ00410 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I SECTION II SILT BACKGROUND ,', SILT TOWN HISTORY The Town of Silt was founded by Henry Halsey, town site owner, and originally the town was known as Ferguson. The settlement"was renamed by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad because of the nature of the soil. The town was established in 1908, incorporated in 19l5, and had an official 1970 U. S. Census population of 434. The present population is estimated to be approximately l200, with the 1980 population projected to be 1300. An official interum census was recently conducted.,~; the results of this census are not available at the time of writing this report. The available population data does not justify classifying the town as "boom" town however, a direct population impact from energy and resource development in the area has already affected the nature and character of the town, and with proposed developmental activities it is expected that population growth and associated impacts will be magnified. It is anticipated that Silt will most likely be transformed from the "bedroom community" at the present to an important support center for the energy industry and its related needs in the near future. The recently emphasized energy shortage has made coal and oil shale development in the area extremely important, and plans for increased oil" shale development, together with existing activities, have created a pressure, on the present town for developing new industrial, commercial, and residential sites to support energy resource expansion. The rate of growth experienced in the recent past is quite significant in comparison to average growth rates experienced by the town prior to 1970. The growth impact on the utility systems, both water and sewer, serving Silt is most often voiced as the primary concern of the community with the poor condition of the street system a secondary concern. II-l !