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2.0 THE SETTItIG • 2.1 Regional Environment The project area is located on the western edge of the Southern Rocky Mountain Physiographic province (Fenneman 1931). It is in the Danforth Hills, a locally uplifted area between the Axial Basin anti- cline and the Yampa River on the north and the White River trench to the south. Major perennial water sources in the project area are Good Spring and Wilson Creeks. Intermittent drainages include the upper reaches of Taylor Creek, the 41est Fork of Good Spring Creek and East Fork of Wilson Creek (See Figure 1.1). Numerous springs and seeps are also found in the project area. Thus, the area is replete with good perennial water sources that would have attracted prehistoric or histor- ic occupants. Williams Fork and Iles Shale are the principal geologic formations underlying the project. Recent and Quaternary alluvium cover the canyon bottoms and drainage channels. The latter effectively obscure any possi- ble surface manifestations of past human occupation in the most likely areas (i.e., near perennia water sources and on fairly level ground surfaces in the valleys). Elevations in the project area range from 1890 m (6200 ft) at the northern end of Proposed Rail Spur No. 2 to 2620 m (8600 ft) at the .extreme southern end of the proposed coal mine. The topography of the project area ranges from open hilly country crosscut by intermittent and perennial streams on the north to extremely steep, mountainous terrain on the south. Vegetation cover also has extreme ranges beginning with sage domination in the northern, lower elevation area, pockets of ripar- ian environments in the drainages, some small areas of pinyon-juniper scrub forest on the lower elevation hillsides, and montane vegetation of mixed mountain shrubs and quaking aspen in the southern, more elevated portion of the project area. Although the project area includes a di- verse spectrum of topography and vegetation, it is predominantly rugged, steep and densely vegetated. Average annual precipitation in the project area ranges between 381 and 559 mm (15-22"). Frost free period averages 45 to 130 days depend- ing upon aspect and elevation. Soils in the project area are predomi- nantly loams or a rock outcrop complex (Tripp, et al. 1982). The environment of the area effectively works against the archaeo- logist by covering surface traces of past human occupation or exploita- tion activities with alluvial soils or dense vegetation in some portions of the project area. 2.2 Previous Cultural Resources Investigations in the Project Area Investigations into the culture history of the project vicinity began only a little more than a decade ago in response to energy ex- poorations and federally required cultural resource clearances for these explorations. Prior to that time the culture history of north- western Colorado had been only sporadically studied. The University of 6