Laserfiche WebLink
<br />..-f <br />M <br />00 <br />C.J <br /> <br />'-- <br /> <br />SEI'TLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT <br /> <br />During the ~eca~e between 1870 ~nd 1880 mining opened with <br /> <br />a wild booo in western Colorado. Discoveries of very rich de~osits <br /> <br />were made in Leadville, Aspen, Gunnison County and the San Juan <br /> <br />Mountains. These discoveries attracte~ m~ny people who could not <br /> <br />possibly hope to duplicate them, and who shortly were exploring the <br /> <br />country from these CaflpS as centers, looking for another means of <br /> <br />livelihood. <br /> <br />The open spaces in the mountains were covered with heavy <br /> <br />stands of fine grasses, which led the pioneers naturally to grazing <br /> <br />livestock. Cattle could be Criven to Llarket over great distances, <br /> <br />which led to the choice of cattle rather than sheep. While there <br /> <br />was at the lower levels considerable open ceuntry with fair feed <br /> <br />for winter range, it soon proved to be inqcequate ~s compared with <br /> <br />the summer range in the higher hills. This forced the livestock man <br /> <br />to raise a part at least of his Winter feed. <br /> <br />After the stockman had proved that, with iITigation, farming <br /> <br />could be carried on at the lower levels, and after the railroad had <br /> <br />reached this regien in 1892, settlers began to arrive who did not <br /> <br />engage in the cattle business. Since both the original stockmen and <br /> <br />the new settlers were developing their hcldings out of the potential <br /> <br />winter range, the stockman was forced to increase the extent of his <br /> <br />farming operations in order to carry his herds through the winters. <br /> <br />8 <br /> <br />! <br />