Laserfiche WebLink
<br />t . ., I <br />" . ,J ~ <br /> <br />onH3 <br /> <br />HISTORICAL OVERVIEW <br /> <br />The History of the northwest corner of Colorado has been <br /> <br />one of constant "booms" that have somehow never succeeded. From <br /> <br />fur trapping to cattle, to oil and coal and oil shale, this area <br /> <br />has shown great promise. Yet for various reasons this promise <br /> <br />has never really been able to fulfill the dream that seemed so <br /> <br />real. <br /> <br />The Spanish "ere the first europeans to see the northwest <br /> <br />corner of Colorado. The Dominguez-Escalante expedition of 1776 <br /> <br />reached the Il'hite River Basin. Some sparse information about the <br /> <br />land and the people was provided but little else. It wasn't until <br /> <br />the coming of the fur trappers that the land began to be exploited, <br /> <br />In 1822, William H. Ashley organized a major expedition that <br /> <br />explored the Green River making the first decent of the canyons. <br /> <br />For the next twenty years, the fur trade in northwestern Colorado <br /> <br />boomed and thousands of beaver were trapped. In 1839, a trading post <br /> <br />named Fort Davy Crockett, was built and became, during the five <br /> <br />years it was in use, a major hub of the fur trade. A shift in style <br /> <br />led to the decline of the fur trade and the fort was abandoned in <br /> <br />1843. <br /> <br />Shortly before and following the collapse of the fur trade, <br /> <br />several travellers and explorers penetrated the area. Perhaps the <br /> <br />