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<br />FRYINGPANCARKANSAS PROJECT
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<br />CLIMATE
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<br />8. The project area has a range of climate from subhumid in the
<br />high mountains to semiarid in the lower altitudes. On the western
<br />slope, the village of Nast, located just below the diversion area at an
<br />altitude of 8,800 feet, has a mean annual precipitation of 17.86 inches,
<br />an average temperature of 36,60 Fahreinheit, and a frost-free period
<br />averaging only 66 days, Oorresponding data for representative
<br />weather stations on the eastern slope are:
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<br />Station
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<br />Altitnde Precipita~ Tempera- Frost.free
<br />(feet) tion (inches) ture (QF.) periOd
<br />(days)
<br /> ------
<br />10.182 18.63 35,6 83
<br />5,343 12,93 53.4 168
<br />4.80R 11.67 52.0 173
<br />4,117 12.30 52.1 165
<br />3,,615 16,05 54.4 168
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<br />Leadvilleu~__ _ _ _ _. _. __. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ h _ _ _ _ _ _ __
<br />Canon City_ ______________ __ _____________ ______
<br />Pueblo__._ _ _______ _ _________ _ _ ______. ______ _____
<br />f~~ki; _~~=~_-.~ ~== = = = = === = = = = = = = = == = == = === == == = = =
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<br />POPULATION
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<br />9. Unofficial estimates place the population of the upper Roaring
<br />Fork River Basin at about 1,000 permanent residents. Aspen, the
<br />largest community, had a population of 777 in 1940, Other residents
<br />live on ranches or at resorts .)1' in the smaller villages. Few, if any,
<br />persons live in the diversion area proper,
<br />10. The population of the eastern slope project area reached
<br />278,000 in 1940. Unofficial local estimates placed the 1948 popula-
<br />tion at 362,000-a 35 percent increase over 1940. Preliminary
<br />unofficial returns of the 1950 census disclose that Pueblo's 1940 popu-
<br />lation of 52,162 had increased to 63,561 andOolorado Springs' pop-
<br />ulation from 36,789 to 45,269, Other sizable communities in the
<br />valley and their 1940 populations are: Leadville, 4,774; Salida, 4,969;
<br />Oanon Oity, 6,690; La Junta, 7,040; and Lamar, 4,465.
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<br />PRESENT DEVELOPMENT
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<br />11. Livestock ranching and the recreational industry are the prin-
<br />cipal business activities in the upper Roaring Fork Basin, In times
<br />past, mining was extensive. This activity had diminished but the
<br />latent industry may be revived. Registered Hereford cattle, from
<br />the western slope have received national recognition. ,Winter sports,
<br />vacationing, and sport fishing are becoming increasingly important
<br />throughout the basin, The diversion area proper has no farming
<br />although the forest is used for grazing,
<br />12. The upper part of the Arkansas Valley is similar in many
<br />respects to the upper Roaring Fork Basin, Mining is important at
<br />and near Leadville and winter and summer sports bring many per-
<br />sons to the area. The city of Pubelo is the focal center for the varied
<br />industrial development of the valley. The most important indus-
<br />trial enterprises, based upon the 1939 Oensus of Business, included
<br />1 steel mill, a cement plant, smelters, iron foundries, brick and tile
<br />plants, machine shops, and agricultural processing plants, including
<br />23 grain elevators, 3 flour mills, 8 feed grinding and mixing plants,
<br />9 alfalfa mills, 4 meat-packing plants, 3 beet-sugar faclories, and 5
<br />canning plants.
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