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<br />The northwestern corner of Colorado is a region that <br />traditionally has been late to develop and when major economic <br />or social changes did occur, they were usually temporary. The <br />history of this area is one of continual ~~o-.s whic:l ended c,~ith <br />a bust. The land is blessed with many natural resources, <br />including coal, oil, gas, gold, uranium, t_mber, good soil, <br />water and grasslands, but historically the developmental <br />pattern for such a rich land has been sporadic at best. <br />The first inhabitants of this area were the Indians. <br />[des[ of the Rockies this land belonged to the Ute Indians, who <br />were hunters and horsemen. These natives were nomadic in <br />their ways, tending to hunt the mountains in the summer and then <br />retire to the river valleys in the winter. The prime land that <br />the Utes held was in the valleys of the White River, the G=een <br />River, and the Yampa River. Here is where the first white <br />settlers also wanted [o come and conflicts arose. The other <br />tribe of natives that were in this area were.the Arapaho who <br />hunted in the mountains in the summers and then returned to the <br />plains in the winter. Often the Utes and Arapaho fought over <br />hunting grounds. However, by and large the two tribes were able <br />1 <br />to share this massive land in peace. <br />The first Europeans to enter northwestern Colorado were <br />the Spanish. In 1776, a small expedition of Spaniards frog <br />Santa Fe, New `fexico arrived in this region. The Dominguez- <br />Escalante Expecition had been given the task of finding a <br />