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-S- <br />explore Colorado. John ',:esley ?o::ell caws given the job o: <br />surveying the White River country and the Green River. rie <br />began in 1868 at Fort Bridget, [ayoming and then moved to the <br />White River near the White River Indian Agency where he spent <br />the winter of 1368. The next spring, he prepared to leave <br />and moved to Wyoming where they launched three •.:ooden boats <br />into the Green River. They floated down throu~:~ Flaming Gorge <br />and into the Canyon of Lodore. They then continued, plagued <br />by disaster, into the Grand Canyon where they were finally <br />picked up at Collville, Utah in the late summer of 1869. The <br />Powell survey proved only that the land was of marginal quality <br />and Powell noted that only irrigation could save the valleys, <br />10 <br />especially in Colorado. <br /> Despite the discovery of gold in the area, northwestern <br /> Colorado remained isolated. Transportation was totally lacking <br />and only in 1869 with the completion of the Union Pacific <br />Railroad through Wyoming, was a major outlet provided for [he <br />country. Northwestern Colorado then c~as of interest, but it <br />was so difficult to get into that ma-.y people felt that the <br />region could never be used. <br />The pressure for land increased during the 1870's and <br />northwestern Colorado became prime land once again. "Sany <br />settlers were disturbed by the fact that the Ute Indians were <br />in possession of this region. The Utes had been given the area <br />by the Brunot Treaty of 1873 and it was their reservation. In <br />Denver, Golden, and other front-range cities, the cry for <br />Indian removal was loud. The Utes however, had no intentior. <br />