Laserfiche WebLink
104 <br /> <br />1972:166-170). Fur trappers in the 1820's, including such noted names as <br />Jim Bridger, William Sublette, and Kit Carson, began operating in the gen- <br />eral area of northwestern Colorado and Wyoming (Trenholm and Carley 1964: <br />56-58). No concrete evidence of their presence, however, was found, either <br />in the form of campsites, structures, or artifactual materials. <br />When fur trapping became less inportant in the mid-1800's; the dis- <br />covery of gold in California brought another influx of Euro-Americans to <br />the West. The bulk of the traffic passed to the north through ~lorth Pass <br />in Wyoming so that the impact in the study area was minimal. <br />The increased interest in the West, developing from the 1849 Gold <br /> <br /> <br />Rush, eventually resulted in the settlement of the Yampa River basin by <br />the late 19th century. Interaction between the Euro-Americans and the <br />aboriginal population decreased drastically in 1880 after the Meeker Mas- <br />sacre (Sprague ]957), when the Utes were removed to the Uintah Reservation <br />near Vernal, Utah, From that point to the present, the Yampa River basin <br />has been occupied almost exclusively by Euro-Americans. <br />The Euro-American utilization of the Yampa River basin was initially <br />agriculturally oriented. The Yampa River floodplain was used for farming. <br />Cattle and sheep ranching took place in the drier areas above the river. <br />Currently, mineral exploitation and power production are competing with <br />agriculture as the major resource in the valley. The mountain areas to the <br />east of the study area have been developed for recreational use. <br />Summary <br />The Yampa River basin and Williams Fork Mountains have been utilized <br />• by aboriginal groups since at least 5000 BC. Evidence of any Paleo-Indian <br />