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~)j~ n. . CllAP,TER II DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA number of active periods of exploration and development of radium, vana- dium, and uranium since 1900. The peak of activity was reached with the uranium boom of the 1950's. The first drilling for oil was done in 1907. Intermittent explora- tion continued without significant success until the 1950's when the Aneth field was discovered and developed, followed by the Lisbon field a few years later. Oil production is now providing the greater part of the mineral revenues in the area. Population The 1968 population of the San Juan County study area is estimated at approximately 16,000. About 70 percent of the people live in the three Utah towns of Moab, Monticello, and Blanding. The area as a whole has less than two people per square mile compared with about 11 for Utah and 17 for Colorado. Vast reaches are completely uninhabited. The popula- tion trend line has been gradually upward since 1900 with occasional vi- brations caused by excitement in oil and metal developments. For in- stance, the population of San Juan County, Utah, increased from 5,300 in 1950 to 9,100 in 1960 but fell back to 7,700 by 1964 and rebounded to 9,000 by 1967. . The area population in~ludes about 4,000 Indian:; living in Lhe Navajo Reservation in Utah. The total population of the Utah portion of the reservation, including non-Indians, is now approximately 5,000 com- pared with about 2,000 in 1940. Scenic and Recreational Attractions . The colorful San Juan Area is a wonderland of scenic and recrea- tional attractions. Remote from large population centers, railroads, or heavily traveled highways and mostly lacking good local access roads, the attractions of the area have received widespread attention only in recent years. Two large national recreational reservations made in this decade have contributed to the greater current interest. One is the Can- yonlands National Park. The other is an area surrounding Lake Powell that is commonly referred to as the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This area of public land, withdrawn by the Bureau of Reclamation, is by agreement administered jointly by the Bureau and the National Park Serv- ice. Legislation that would establish the area as the Glen Canyon Na- tional Recreation Area is pending before the 91st Congress. Among other recreational attractions are Rainbo~ Bridge, Roven~eep and Natural Bridges National Monun~nts, La Sal Division of the Manti-La Sal National Forest, and Dead Horse Point, Indian Creek, and Goosenecks State Parks. Monument Valley and numerous other points of interest are also widely known scenic and recreational attractions. Many "Western movies have been filmed in the area because of colorful and majestically shaped rock formations. The Utah portion of the Navajo Indian Reservation is also in the study area. 17