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<br />Tues., Feb. 19. 1974, Oen....er.Colo.
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<br />Rocky Mountain News-5
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<br />IRongely
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<br />Grand Junction
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<br />lale country
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<br />Things moving' on Western Slope
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<br />By JF.FF IW!'E~ ant!
<br />moultu J.l'inl~t;II)}:R
<br />N__,Sraft
<br />{ midnight, the dozen barflies left
<br />C's Roundup in Rifle were all a
<br />tight. A lot of them were watch-
<br />1e kid in the white Stetson.
<br />bad be~ to strut around the pool table,
<br />'lg, shooting. straight....ning and dabbing a
<br />>l chalk at the tip of his cue stiC'k before
<br />19a9ain.
<br />\'0"8$ his last game of the night. aml he W3.ll
<br />to the eight ball - an eas)' shot, strai~ht
<br />Ii 1~.!1 than six mehl's from the comer
<br />t. He flashed a smile. lx-nl and stroked at
<br />JI' ball. It clicked against the {'ight and
<br />ollowed it into the poc'ket. A scratch. He'd
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<br />~neath the "No gambling" sign he slil're<i
<br />lpOf1enl a fh"er and IIl"n shulf1l'd back 10
<br />rl and lit a cigafE'tte. "Well, \Ihen the oil
<br />anies get here. we'U have all the mane)'
<br />n spend," he joked.
<br />::'s Cafe and Roundup is the CE'nter of the
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<br />Third of a series
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<br />, in RiOe. As in M) manr ban and cafE'~ In
<br />~glon thesE'dll)'s, Irs hard to ~rend much
<br />there without hearin~ somE-body talk
<br />: oll companies and oil shal...
<br />) PRICES SO.\.IU:-"(;
<br />and priC'es in Rifle. Grand Valley, ~1("eker,
<br />:ely and Grand Junction are soaring,
<br />y local l'E"al estate man has his favorite
<br />Iple _ the plot that's douhlt>d in value
<br />two oil giants bid mol'E" thnn $:!lO million
<br />I federal oil shale It'ase. thl' corm'f 1<)1
<br />I triJlled in a yt'ar. tile newann('xatill(J
<br />should haw got in on. the commercial
<br />that "justCll1l't lose,"
<br />eallors are getting a ~trt'am of inquiri(,lI
<br />out-of-town s~ulalors who want a plE'Ce
<br />E' action. In almO!'t E'\"f'r)' cafr at some
<br />or anotlu>r you can spot II broker goinl:
<br />his listings with a pro.;pectlw bu)'er,
<br />hings are moving, and b.'hind mrn<t of the
<br />ltyllrethe vast oil shall' rf'sf'n'esofnurth-
<br />em Colorado - the !,:ra\' and bro\\Tlish
<br />from whkh billions of barrels of crude oil
<br />leproduced.
<br />he dream of an oil shale boom has tantal-
<br />thE' Ilrt'a for half a centun'. It has llick..r-
<br />, life with new eXpl"rlment$ and been ('xtin-
<br />she d by disco\"l"fles r>f additional
<br />~tional petroleum rt'sen'es else'll'heN',
<br />row the dream is rlos" to reaht)' as one
<br />lr oil firm aftf'r annthf'r JOins research
<br />~ts, bid.~ for fe-deral trads, announct's
<br />'IOpment plaJL~ for pri,-ale lands and nt'-
<br />Ites with the U.S. Burf'l!.U of Land :'.tana;:e--
<br />t to trade prh'ate boldin;::s for public la-nd
<br />I effort to obtain morf' nearl)' rectanR"ular
<br />nore easilY mineableprol>erties.
<br />nule barfll('s talk of high;)a~'in!: .io~ In
<br />ts and mines, loe-al otlicials are tr)'ing: to
<br />p the magnitude of It\{' chllno:es of c'om-
<br />:ial oil scale induslr)' "ou!d bri~ t~,
<br />IS and counties which ha.e ,-h'-Inged \"f'f\'
<br />indetades. --
<br />he richest uil shall" d('l'o~il~ Ii.' bf"nealh th..
<br />:l"d hills and valley~ "f :he l.3..'\t}..sfl'lare,
<br />, Piteanre ('re(>k &"\,In In Rio llIanrO and
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<br />RIO BLANCO I
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<br />GarfiE'ld counties Mesa Count)', dirt'ctl>' It> the
<br />south, aIM) would be dramatil'ally affe.'led by
<br />an oil shale bourn,
<br />The three counties haxe a pOl'ulatinn of
<br />about 71.100. more than halt of it in tOI\nS wilh
<br />lewer than 2,500 people or on farms and
<br />ran,'hes.
<br />Privately o\\1lE"llland along nv(>r \'aUeys
<br />and strE'am Ix>ds is largely irrigated, sUPl'orlmg
<br />sheep and cattle ranching and, in weslern
<br />:'.Iesa County, fruit orchards and farming.
<br />About 192,000 cattle and 173,000 shN'l) and
<br />lambs arE' being raised In the thr('(' countiE'S.
<br />..\RIU, J)t:SOL.-\ TE ARr..4.
<br />AltitudE'S in thE' re"lon range from 5,1)00 10
<br />13.000 feet. Except for thE' low valle)'s, it's an
<br />arid, ~Iate terrain, swept b)" high winds and
<br />f8\'aged b)-' subfre("Zing winters and h,,1. dr)'
<br />summers. The rugged hillsides or the high
<br />('OUntr)' are dotted with sag('brush, I'loon pint>s,
<br />junipers and scrub oaks. Rock outCl'.~PS mter-
<br />rupt thE' scraggl)' vegelation and majestic grar
<br />c1iIfs tower o\"er some of the \"allf'\'s
<br />:-.resa Count)', with II populalJun of 56.300, is
<br />b)' far the most populoUS of the lhrl'l"_ The
<br />toon!)' seat. Grand Junction (POP. 2Uml is
<br />more than fi\"{' times the SilE' of an)' nmer 1."\n
<br />in the oil shale l,'('>tJntr~', It's Ihl' I't'ehm'!, ('om-
<br />mef('ial and E'Cooomic (,E'ntl.'r, a sou,,',' of rE'tail
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<br />Meeker
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<br />Glenwood
<br />Springs
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<br />MESA
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<br />COLORADO'S Oil
<br />SHALE REGION
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<br />NEWSM"'P BY JACKSH,o,NNON
<br />and \I, holesale goOOs for much of w('stl>m Cola.
<br />rllOO and also a distribUtion and transpOrtation
<br />hub,
<br />DE'spite occasional eCon(>mic problems. the
<br />tm...n has gro""Tl steadily, Its neighborhoods are
<br />a hlt'nd of Old and new, MobilE' homE' dealer-
<br />ships have sprung up, but the lown its.elf ba!l
<br />fE'w trailer parks. Stretching out along thl' Colo-
<br />rado Ri\'E'r on either side of to""Tl are pea('h
<br />orchards and sugar beet farms. But lI!::"rkulture
<br />In lhe ('OWlI)' is on thl' decline. Thousands or
<br />acft's have been converted to othE'r USE'S in the
<br />lastdE'Cade-.
<br />.\IILlI BOO:\t EXPt:RU:SCf:U
<br />Garfie-Id C{)WIt,}', "ith 16.100 resicl('nls, lie!!
<br />dlre<'tJ). to the nonh. The eastern ~ectlons arE'
<br /><,xl'('ril'ncinlt a mild boom dul' to lh(' tourist
<br />mdu~tries of Aspen and Vail in COUnt iE'S farther
<br />east.
<br />Construction workers emT'lo)'ed in these re--
<br />~rt t<M"TlS and oth('r wage eamt'fS have I'T"adu.-
<br />all)' dMfte-rl down the Rr):~ring Fork and Colo-
<br />rado RivE'r \'al1('\"s to areas where the\' C3.n
<br />more easil)' affoi-d to live. CarbonllalE': tht>n
<br />Glenwood Spring:s and towns furth...r \\ est like
<br />:-;E'wcastle and E'ven Ri!l(' havl' been aff{'c1e~
<br />by theseO\-erOolll"S.
<br />Sheep and tattle ranchin~ mak!" up a d"din-
<br />(fuodudfil (10 JIlI!:E' IOl
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