WSP00310

• File Number: 8407.500
• Description: Platte River Basin - River Basin General Publications - Missouri River
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Water Division: 1
• Date: 1/1/1964
• Author: R E Hardie
• Title: History of Conservation in the Missouri Valley
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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CHAPTER II

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HISTORY OF CONSERV A nON IN THE
MISSOURI VALLEY

BALANCE, DEVELOPMENT, HARMONY

A sea of waving grass, rich farm land as far as the eye can
see, water in subsoil or moving slowly to the sea, oil, coal, tim-
ber, rare cool valleys, and above all sunshine' as only it shines
in the Missouri Valley, these made the soil in this great region.
But wait - first must come the prehistoric story.

Although this valley has a fascinating geological history
this tempting subject must be omitted and mention be made
only of the ancient sea that reached from Hudson Bay to the
Gulf of Mexico. This old sea is of historical significance in that
it left sea bottom deposits which contain, as all sea water con-
tains, all the minerals necessary to vegetable and animal life.

As time counted to thousands of years, the land rose, the
sea subsided, and vegetation came, covered and spread as soil
was formed and improved.

It is an interesting chemical story of alkalines from the
shale and acids from decomposing vegetable matter as chemi-
cal energy. Sunshine, wind, water, heat and frost all did their
co-related parts to gradually cover the basin with soil as we
know it and with dense vegetation that supported a larger pop-
ulation of herb-eating animals with their flesh-eating neigh-
bors as unwelcome guests.

Now consider the formation of our precious soil. It is true

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