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Abandoned Irrigated Havfields /Cropland. These area were at one time irrigated and cultivated <br />for hay or forage crop production. Abandonment was due to advancing mining disturbances, or poor <br />site characteristics related to normal husbandry and flood irrigability. <br />Residence. These areas contain the abandoned residences of the properties sold or leased to the <br />coal mine. The sole exception is the James Johnson property of 2.39 acres located in the western <br />portion of the permit. WFC has alease / option to buy Mr. Johnson's property and the house site will <br />remain occupied until WFC executes the option. <br />Mine Facilities and Related Areas. These areas include the boneyard, the existing shop and office <br />buildings, all sediment ponds and related diversion ditches, permanent haul roads, and the BB Detour <br />Road (built to provide public access to Second Park ). <br />Countv Roads. This area consists of existing county roads that traverse the permit area. These will <br />be removed by mining and rebuilt prior to final bond release of the permit area. <br />Miscellaneous. This category is an amalgamation of all the other land uses for sliver areas not <br />defined by Table 2.04.3-1 or Map 2.04.3-1, and serves make the table acre total equal the acreage <br />contained within the permit boundary. <br />To ~e <br />• General Discussion of the History and Land Use of the Nucla /New Horizon Mine Permit Area. <br />An understanding of the major land use of irrigated agriculture is benefitted by an insight into the <br />background of the present community and land use in the Nucla area. Peterson (1949) and Mercer <br />(1967), respectively, authored articles on the history of the town of Nucla and the Colorado <br />Cooperative Company, the latter being the driving force behind the present situation at Nucla. The <br />following summary discussion is taken from the above two references. <br />In 1894, the Colorado Cooperative Company was incorporated in Denver in order to establish a <br />utopian or socialist community somewhere in Colorado with agriculture as the basis for the economy <br />of the community. Based on evaluations of many sites, it was decided to settle in an area known as <br />Tabeguache Park located a few miles north of the San Miguel River and Naturita, Colorado-then <br />a post office and stage stop. The site was selected because of the availability of cheap federal lands <br />under several Acts, including the Desert Land and Homestead Acts, and the positive results of a <br />survey that indicated water could be brought from the San Miguel River to the Park. The first group <br />of people arrived at Naturita in 1895 and began farming in that area while surveying the ditch, building <br />roads, and establishing a sawmill. In 1896, the colony established the site of Pinon where Cottonwood <br />Creek enters the San Miguel, while also beginning work on the ditch five miles upstream. All lumber <br />for the town, trestles, and flumes, as well as lath for fruit boxes in Montrose, was supplied by the <br />. (REVISED26 Aug 2002) 2.04.3-5 <br />