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Show PART II DESCRIPTION OF REGION Settlement was confined at first to mining camps in the upper reaches of the rivers and to limited agricultural areas that developed to supply the nearby camps and the travelers on the overland trails to the West. With the decline of mining enterprises, agriculture "became the "basic in- dustry of the region. Many miners, disappointed in their search for gold and silver, turned to stockraising and the growing of crops as a means of livelihood. Towns and cities were developed mainly near farms and mines and at important railroad points. Statehood was achieved "by Colorado in 1876, Wyoming in I89O, Utah in 1896, and New Mexico and Arizona in 1912. Development The Mormon pioneers early established the pattern of small agricul- tural communities along river valleys where the more favorable farming land could be cultivated and irrigated and where livestock could be grazed on nearby forest and rangelands. The livestock industry soon be- came an important sector of the agricultural economy and remains today as a major industry in most of the region. It was soon found that irrigation was essential to successful crop production in most parts of the region. The rate of irrigation develop- ment was slow, however, because of difficult construction methods and generally low crop values. By 1900 most of the readily available sources of irrigation water had been developed by private individuals and small irrigation companies. Shortly after the turn of the century the first Fed- eral reclamation projects were undertaken in the region and these have been the nuclei around which today's larger farming communities and trading centers have evolved. There are now numerous Federal projects throughout the region, many of which provide stability to former private developments by providing supplemental water and eliminating water supply shortages dur- ing periods of deficient streamflows. The early history of the region has its roots in the mining industry. As has already been mentioned, the discovery of gold and other precious metals led to an influx of prospectors and miners and the establishment of numerous early settlements. Mining activity and commercial requirements of the booming populations associated with the industry attracted the early railroad development. Even the construction of the Union Pacific was partially based on the influences of gold and silver discoveries in California and Nevada in the mid-l800's. Similar discoveries in the Colo- rado Rockies and the desperate need for transportation to the mining camps led to the construction of a great network of railroads, mostly narrow gage to cope with the mountain conditions. These in turn produced a de- mand for wood for railroad ties and bridge timbers and for fuel. Coal replaced wood as a domestic and industrial fuel source and led to the coal mining industries of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. 10 |