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unsatisfied and the grasslands were available, cattlemen saw no limits to their riches. This dream <br />of wealth already realized by Colorado stockmen, such as J. W. Prowers, on the eastern plains, <br />motivated hundreds to move to the Westem Slope (Osgood 1929: 85-91). <br />Congress helped stimulate the spread of the beef bonanza through their liberalization of the land <br />laws beginning with the Homestead Act of 1862. Responding to pressure from settlers and <br />would-be settlers, Congress started to use the Public Domain as a lure to encourage people to <br />move west. During the 1870s, the national legislature passed two more laws, the Desert Land <br />Act and the Timber Culture Act that further liberalized the use of Federal lands. ]n 1882 the <br />provisions of these laws were extended to the former Ute ]ands through the Ute Reservation Act <br />of 1882. The land laws had many loopholes making fraudulent use of the lands a common <br />practice (Robbins 1976: 218-20). <br />As part of the reforms made during the 1890s, Congress introduced a system of withdrawals of <br />Federal ]ands for forest reserves. This removed ]and from constant usage. In a effort to conserve <br />national lands for subsequent generations. However, the legislators recognized the rancher's <br />need to use the range ]ands. The laws included a permit system to allow, but control, grazing on <br />the reserved lands. The new program, eventually tested and upheld by Federal courts, impacted <br />many Westem Slope rangers. This series of changes marked a trend toward aconservation- <br />oriented approach to the use of the Public Domain. <br />The stockmen of Delta and Gunnison counties shazed many things with their counterparts . <br />throughout the West. Clad in boots with pointed toes, chaps, awide-brimmed hat and bandanna, <br />the local cowboys came to stock raising from many walks of Iife. The sons of midwestern <br />farmers hoped to break form the "dull" life in Iowa, drifrers from across the country and those <br />needing a new start all found jobs on the cattle ranches of Colorado's Western Slope. Also, <br />some of the cow hands came from the Teller Institute Indian School in Grand Junction: The <br />ranches looked similaz to those throughout the West at the time. The built environment had an <br />emphasis on utilitarian buildings built of logs and other native building materials wherever <br />possible. Dimensioned lumber, usually reserved for construction of the main house and other <br />key buildings, only came into use after the ranch became established. Lumber and other <br />relatively expensive building materials then were used and the older log buildings either <br />abandoned or modified in both function and form (O'Rourke 1980: 12I-4). <br />The eazly Delta and Gunnison County stock growers drove their herds overland to reach the <br />ranges until the railroads arrived. Even though the azea did not sit astride a major cattle trail <br />from Texas, occasional herds from the Lone Staz state amved in the area after long drives. Even <br />after construction of the railroads, the necessity to move cattle from ranch to market or between <br />summer and winter ranges meant that the tradition of the cattle drive remained alive in westem <br />Colorado into the 20's century. <br />One change that did take place that marked the closing years of the 19"' century and the <br />beginnings of the 20`s century ranching was the introduction of blooded livestock to meet <br />]2 <br />