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i, <br /> <br />One rather unique settlement was Longmont, in the northern <br />section of Boulder County. The Colorado-Chicago Colony, known as <br />' the Chicago Colony, was founded in Illinois in 1870. The purpose <br />of the colony was to purchase land and establish a communal living <br />' arrangement in the West. The group settled in the St. Vrain Valley <br />near Old Burlington. Longmont was founded by those colonists <br />wanting a temperance society. Longmont and the surrounding area <br />' grew quickly. The large number of initial settlers made <br />development of a large irrigation system necessary, (Athearn 1976: <br />' 116-228; "Old Burlington interview" CWA, CSHS, vol. 253). <br />The initial success of farmers is partially attributable to <br />' irrigation. Individual irrigation efforts began with earliest <br />farmers in southeastern Colorado. The large community irrigation <br />' systems began after the Civil War. Until that time short ditches <br />carrying water from streams to low lands were most prevalent. <br />' Irrigation on the larger scale was first undertaken near Greeley. <br />Soon, the pattern was successfully duplicated. By 1889 Colorado <br />' ranked second, behind California, among states in irrigation <br />development. For the Study Area this meant a series of canals <br />' crossing the lands to provide irrigation. <br />Other projects provided water for agricultural and domestic <br />' use. In 1905-1906 plans to build a reservoir near Lyons met with <br />disdain. The project called for flooding the town and moving the <br />inhabitants to the area known as Dow [sic] Flats. Needless to say, <br />' nothing came of the plan at the time. A later water diversion <br />project was much more successful. The Colorado-Big Thompson, a <br />' trans-montaine water project affected the entire northeastern <br />section of the state and provided a constant source of water supply <br />' to the eastern plains. Ideas for the project date to the late <br />nineteenth century, but the project was undertaken in the 1930s and <br />' 1940s. <br />' 36 <br />1 <br />