Laserfiche WebLink
<br />~ <br /> <br />The city of Durango, the ne~rest trading peint to the <br /> <br />project and the largest settlement in San Juan Basin, has a popula- <br /> <br />tion of 5,400 (1930). It is the county seat of La Plata County <br /> <br />and the largest city within 200 miles and therefore mere metropoli- <br /> <br />tan than its size WGuld indicate. Within the project are Bocea <br /> <br />Siding, Falfa, and Oxford, loading stations on the railroad. The <br /> <br />two latter are local trading posts with post offices. Ignacio, <br /> <br />population 464, is about 10 mileS to the southeast. <br /> <br />History of Development <br /> <br />The settlement of the San Juan Basin in Colorado was <br /> <br />incidental to the discovery of gold and the rapid expansion of <br /> <br />mining in the San Junn Mountains. The early prospectors knew no <br /> <br />,~ <br />'~~~fJ <br />":.,1..~ <br /> <br />other mineral but free gold, and in their search for it they <br /> <br />quickly covered all the probable mineral areas in Colorado. In <br /> <br />the La Plata Mountains at Parrott City and at Ouray on the north <br /> <br />slope of the S~ Juan Mountains they made their first and most im- <br /> <br />portant discoveries, followed by thOSe at Silverton, all before <br /> <br />1873. <br /> <br />Since all this area was in the reservation of the Ute <br /> <br />Indians, the persistent invasion by the miners led to so much <br /> <br />friction that except fc'r the area 'lrrund Parrett City, where <br /> <br />Captain Moss negotiated a private treaty in 1873, Open warfare ex- <br /> <br />isted. T~porary peace followed when in 1874 the United States <br /> <br />bought from the Indians 3,000,000 acres, which included the main <br /> <br />br,dy of the mountains, and all the pr()spective rdneral land. The <br /> <br />3 <br />