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• Delta In 1828 to serve this new Industry. The fur industry began [o <br />wane In the 1830s as a result of over-trapping and dropping prices. <br />Euro-American utilization of [he area was slight In the following two <br />decades, until the discovery of gold in Colorado in 1859 radically <br />changed the scenario. <br />While little or no gold mining occurred near Hubbard Creek, the <br />gold rush did bring Euro-American peoples into western Colorado in large <br />numbers. Conflicts with the U[e Indians intensified as Euro-American <br />interest in [he area increased, ul[Imately leading [o the expulsion of <br />the Utes from west-central Colorado in 1880 and 1881. Almost immediately <br />after the removal of the Utes from their homeland, townsi[es were estab- <br />lished, railroad lines were built, and lands were developed for agricul- <br />ture. Fruit orchards fed by irrigation ditches appeared in the North <br />Fork Valley In 1882 near Hotchkiss and Paonia. Cattle and sheep were <br />also raised. <br />The coal industry emerged in the North Fork Valley in the early <br />twentieth century. Somerset, a community approximately five miles east <br />of Bowie, boasted the largest coal operations in the Grand Mesa coal <br />fields. Coal is presently a very important industry in the North fork <br />of the Gunnison valley. <br />L J <br />6 <br />