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<br />accumulated in Rocky Mountain National Park~ on that section of UO So High- <br /> <br />:...." <br /> <br />r: ~ <br /> <br />o way 34 which runs northw~rd from Granby and eastward through the Park to <br /> <br />l\.? <br />W <br />00 <br />-J <br /> <br />-- <br /> <br />the town of Estes Park without interception by aDy mC1j or ro~do These <br /> <br />National Park Service figures show that the number of annual visitors to <br /> <br />the Park rose slowly from 2409966 to 291,934 in the period from 1920 to <br />1933, and then increased at a. greatly aceelerated p8ce from 365 ~392 to <br />68.%393 during 1934 to 19410 During the war years, attendance slumped to <br /> <br />a low of 130,188 during 1943jl but since then has consistently increased <br />to a peak attendence of ljl265,9988 visitors in 19500 These figures indicate <br /> <br />only roughly the magnitude of the tourist traffic through th~ project area <br /> <br />since it is accessible by other heavily traveled highwayS in addition to <br /> <br /> <br />U 0 So Highway 34. However 9 they do show clearly the tremendous expansion <br /> <br />of tourist travel into and through Middle Park in recent years.. <br /> <br />280 Recrea.tionists are attracted to the a.rea bec<"luse of natural <br /> <br />resources including hunting and fishingo Expanding development of accom- <br /> <br />modations for these visitors is a. very evident trend in Middle Parko This <br /> <br />was forcefully stated by Jerry Fitch in the Denver Post~ April 119 1950, <br /> <br />when he wrote "Middle Pa.rk Boomg Dudes Repla.ce Cows 0 ,,11 His article. said,'i <br /> <br />"So quietly has the economic revolution.. 0 ..come about that many residents <br /> <br />-; <br /> <br />still havenit realized tha.t cattle raiSing is now the No.. 2 industryo A <br /> <br />check showed...." tha teach year new dude ranche s are appearing on the scene, <br /> <br />with the number doubled since the end of World War II" At present, 15 of <br /> <br />the 42 ranches of the Colorado Dude R~nchersi Association have their spreads <br /> <br />in Middle Park and all the officers are from that district,,11 <br /> <br />29. Arthur H" C~rhartj in "Hi, stranger g", an outstanding book on the <br /> <br />dude ranch industry of the west, h~s m~de this statementg liThe Middle Park <br /> <br />area, because of its locationj because of its varied wealth of natural <br /> <br />"'9- <br />