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<br />002145 <br /> <br />The introduction of cattle to the range provided a major <br /> <br />industry in the northwest corner for nearly fifty years. However, <br /> <br />there were conflicts over use of the land. Homesteaders tried to <br /> <br />settle land that was used by cattlemen. In some cases thet were <br /> <br />driven off, while in others they persisted. Cattlemen also fought <br /> <br />with sheep raisers, who by the l890s were beginning to bring sheep <br /> <br />into the lush pastures of the forest lands in the Elk River Valley <br /> <br />and other valleys. Violent conflicts erupted between the two fac- <br /> <br />tions. The climax of the sheep wars caNe in Rio Blanco County with <br /> <br />the so-called battle of Yellow Jack Pass. The Colorado State militia <br /> <br />had to be called in to restore peace. <br /> <br />The cattle industry was not the only factor in the development <br /> <br />of northwestern Colorado. As settlers came into the river valleys, <br /> <br /> <br />such as the Elk, the Little Snake, the Yampa, the Green and the White, <br /> <br />new transportation routes developed to serve various communities that <br /> <br /> <br />were growing in the region. Mineral exploitation took place in certain <br /> <br />areas such as Fortification Creek and Blue Mountain while hay and grains <br /> <br />were grown to provide food and fodder. The Yampa Valley became a major <br /> <br />hay raising area while the far west was still a cattle region. <br /> <br />When the Denver North'vest and Pacific Railroad (the t-loffat Rd.) <br /> <br />came into Middle Park and then pushed onto Steamboat Springs and <br /> <br />Craig, transportation became cheap and easy. For the first time cattle <br /> <br />and sheep could be shipped directly to Denver; hay, coal, cheap and <br /> <br />other crops could be exported easily and at a profit while the land <br />