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C"": .... ~ Co C \<APTER I GENERAL DESCRIPTION Settlement History Most of western Colorado, including Delta County, was originally inhabited by the Ute Indians. Hostility between the Indians and white immigrants retarded early efforts to settle the area. In 1881 a com- promise agreement was reached between the United States Government and Ute Indians Which required Utes to locate on the Uintah Reservation in the territory of Utah. With this agreement settlement of the area pro- gressed rapidly. Fanns were taken up along the valleys, towns were founded in the growing agricultural communities, and construction of railroads to the main trading centers was begun. Population The entire population of the project area is white and predomi- nantly of English and Scandinavian descent. Since the initial settle- ment period, the population has increased slowly. This increase has been fairly unifonn and is chiefly attributable to the division of fann land into smaller operating units and the establishment of supporting trades. The population of the project area increased about 7.4 percent from 1920 to 1930 and 11.9 percent during the 1930-1940 period. These increases approximately parallel those of Delta County and the State of Colorado during the same periods. Census records for the town of Crawford, Delta County, the Stste of Colorado, and the project area are summarized in the following table. -POrii,' aT,~on 1920 1930 1940 Crawford 149 157 221 Project area 689 740 828 Delta County 13,668 14,204 16,470 State of Colorado 939.629 1.035 791 1,123.296 P0PULATION GROWTH Industrial Development The raising of beef cattle and dairying are the major industries of the project area. Agricultural lands are used chiefly to grow winter feed for stock. Cattle and sheep graze in the summer on National for- ests and public domain which surround the project. 4