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1 I,' 3.2 Historic Context The historic context for Dowe Flats covers the period of Euro- american interest and occupation from approximately 1700 to the ' present. The history of the lands that comprise the Dowe Flats Study Area is dominated by the evolution of a high plains, rural ' agricultural lifestyle. Other factors, particularly mining and quarrying, influenced the area's history, but in one way or another the majority of those factors were associated with the area's ' general rural development. Mining is often viewed as historic Colorado's basic industry but agriculture constantly has been the ' state's most profitable and steady source of income. Within Boulder County agriculture has been a predominant enterprise ' despite the variations of altitude and terrain. "No county . has so wide a range in altitude within so small an area." (Yearbook ' 1918:78) The eastern part of the county is within the Platte River Valley, is basically level and is excellent agricultural land. The ' Western sections of the county have a rapid rise in elevation to mountain peaks and provide good pasture land. Recent studies identified a total of four historic themes for lands near the Study Area (Burney 1989; Meier 1987a; Meier 1987b; Riggs 1987; Weiss ' 1980, 1981). The use of such a narrowly defined historic framework may lead to oversimplification if extended to too large an area. ' Equally, the approach taken in those reports tends to diminish any uniqueness the Study Area's history may possess when evaluated within a regional (Front Range or Colorado Plains) context. Review ' of presently available sources indicates that an enlarged thematic framework is needed to accommodate both the regional context and the uniqueness of the Study Area. For the Dowe Flats area the pertinent historic themes include: 1) Exploration and the ' Fur Trade, 1700-1845; 2) The Colorado Gold Rush and Early ' 29