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. 306:1 site of the second largest city in the Project area. General John C. Fremont recorded that in 1843 several white men were engaged in farming and cattle raising in the Arkansas Valley. Gold was discovered in Colorado in the summer of 1858. Within the next few years, mining communities sprang up in the upper reaches of the Arkansas River. Irrigation was employed to raise feed for animals used in mining operations and to raise food stuffs for the fast growing population. The earliest water rights in the mountains date back to the early 1860's, but it was not until 1874 that large scale irrigation was initiated in the plains area at Rocky Ford. . Agriculture in the Arkansas Valley has been dependent upon irrigation. The Arkansas Valley agricultural land below Pueblo Reservoir is largely devoted to irrigated farming. Corn and alfalfa are major production crops with a lesser amount of lands used to produce vine seed crops such as cantaloupe, melons and cucumbers. Crops for human con- sumption include a host of specialty crops such as pinto beans, onions, tomatoes and other vegetables. La Junta and Rocky Ford are renowned for production of sugar beets, melons and cantaloupes. Some wheat and sorghum crops are grown on dry land areas. Early irrigation was carried on by means of small private ditches used in supplying water to the low lying lands bordering the river channel. The construction of larger irrigation systems followed to irrigate the river terraces and uplands. Favorable climatic conditions and comparatively high runoff prevailed during the decade of 1880 to 1890, resulting in overappropriation of dependable flows from the main stem of the Arkansas River. When a series of dry years followed, the construction of several reservoirs was undertaken to store, for late season use, the winter water and early spring flood runoff which under direct flow diver- sion rights otherwise would be unused or wasted. Most of the adjudicated storage rights have priorities dated between 1890 and 1910. Irrigation water is obtained primarily from native flows of the Arkansas River and from wells. The amount of irri- gation water available for lands in the valley from the 29 .