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in the recording of cultural resources. These areas were well away from the present project area and were not further evaluated. Ttie general prehistoric cultural cer.text of the North Fork Valley has been summarized by archaeologist Flan Reed as part of the State of Colorado's West Central Colorado Prehistoric Context (Reed 1984). The general state of prehistoric knowledge of the reyion is well summarized in the document and will not be repeated herein. In addition to Reed's 1954 volume, the reader is also referred to Reed and Scott's 1980 volume (Reed and Scott 1980) which specifically addresses the cultural resources of the Uncompahgre and Gunnison drainages. Another fairly recent analysis of the reyional prehistory is that of Barry Hibbets and his colleagues (Hibbets, et. al. 1979) in relation to the West Central Colorado Coal Leases. In addition to this work by Hibbets and his colleagues, there have been numerous small-scale cultural resource studies in the North Fork Valley. Generally speaking, the results of these various inventories have not provided much new data relative to yaining a better understanding of tine reyional prehistory. Only one project in the Nortf, Furk area has ever been subjected to a "full-blown" E.I.S. level baseline cultural resource study. Tlris is the efi'ur•*. conducted by Centuries Research on behalf of Colorado IJestmOreland's Grchard Valle} 14irie at 1-aonia. Tlris work was coir~inenced in 1976 and continued until 1;136 ~.+hen it culminated in the only substantial excavation cf prehi;~c.ric sit~as :^ the area. The baseline prehistoric data (Baker 19E7) frrn: tf:is substantial effort is probably the best available from tfie regiui, t+s it addresses the regional research • interests outlined by keed (1984). basically, these data show that the foothills above the North Fork contain occasional prehistoric sites. These are not plentiful and are usually small, ephemeral ones which at least span the period from the late Archaic Stage through the Historic Ute Occupation of Western Colorado. Additionally, despite their prominence and potential desirability for prehistoric/aboriginal inhabitants, the cliffs and alcoves above the North Fork seldom yield evidence of human occupation. The cliffs in the project area were not suspected to have much in the way of prehistory. History The history of the North Fork Valley is not well known dnd was badly slighted even in Steven I~~ehls' generally fine history of West Central Colorado (Nehls 198£). The same thing is true for Duane Vanderbusch's history of the Gunnison Lountry (Vanderbusch 1980). Wilson kockwell's local histories still stand as baseline contributions on the North Fork (kockwell 1938, 1938a and 1975). The local history was structured into a usable format for local cultural resource studies by this author as part of the baseline E.I.S. work for the Orchard Valley.htine (Baker 1978). Tlris volume contains some discussion of the town of Somerset which is pertinent to the present project and will be reprinted in part below in reference to the intensive historic development of the North Fork. This development focused on fruit ranching and coal mining. This was as opposed to the earlier extensive development of the local area as part of the primary Euroamerican occupation of tfre Valley. This occupation emphasized stock raising. 8 .. y . _ _. ....