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Show PARC I INTRODUCTION Prehistoric Indians farmed the San Juan-Colorado Subregion from the eighth to the close of the 13th century A.D. raising such crops as beans, corn, and squash. This farming was dependent upon natural precipitation supplemented "by intensive soil and moisture conservation practices such as small check dams and diversion of natural run-off areas to irrigate the crops. Although the subregion was traversed by early Spanish expeditions which reported it to be "a land dry and arid with a vegetation of cactus and desert plants," settlement by non-Indians did not take place until the discovery of gold in the San Juan Mountains in the early l870's. There is a saying that Colorado was populated by men who "came to dig gold and remained to pitch hay."(2) Shortly before this time modern ir- rigation began in other portions of the Intermountain Region. Mormon pioneers, after reaching the Valley of the Great Salt Lake in 18^7, be- gan migrating into surrounding areas of western Wyoming and eastern Utah. The first agricultural settlement in what is now the State of Wyoming was made in 1853 on the Smiths Fork about 9 miles above Fort Bridger.(3) This was followed by settlement and establishment of communities along almost every permanent stream large enough to support irrigation through- out the region during the remainder of the 19th century. Development of lands in Colorado began in earnest in 187^+ when the Ute Indians ceded to the Federal Government some 3 million acres of their reservation which was immediately opened for settlement. Land was cleared and farming began with the construction of small privately financed water diversions and minor storage facilities by individuals or cooperative or- ganizations. Private developments were supplemented by construction of Federal projects following passage of the Reclamation Act of 1902. Settlement of irrigated farms in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and Arizona began in the late 1870's. It was somewhat more gradual than in Colorado. Non-Indian agricultural development has been concentrated along the San Juan River in the Farmington, N. Mex., Area where diversi- fied irrigation development has taken place. The Navajo Indian Reserva- tion established in 1868 makes up a large portion of the region's land potential in New Mexico and Arizona. Since establishment of the reserva- tion, scattered tracts of land have been developed for irrigation. These tracts are located primarily on intermittent streams. Although in past decades stockraising and agriculture have been the mainstay of the Navajo economy, farm produce has been raised and utilized primarily for subsistence and barter purposes. Early efforts to improve agriculture were designed to increase productivity for subsistence pur- poses, and as agricultural works were developed, the acreages assigned to individual families remained small--usually 10 to 20 acres. Lands along the San Juan River have an adequate water supply; however, lands in other portions of the area are consistently short of water during the late sum- mer months and throughout much of the irrigation season in years of sub- normal runoff. |