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Show Manufacturing Much of the manufacturing in the basin is the processing of farm, forest, and mineral products. However, in part because of low-cost power pro- duced at Hoover Dam, the nearby Los Angeles metropolitan area has become a nationally impor- tant manufacturing area and provides a close mar- ket for ra.w materials or food produced in the Colorado Basin. In the upper basin there are some small-scale processors of agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables and sugar beets, grain, and dairy prod- ucts. The lower basin is somewhat more diversi- fied, although still largely dependent on outside areas for manufactured goods. In 1940 one-half of the manufacturing in the region was in food processing, including meat and poultry packing, flour milling, fruit packing and canning, and dairy processing. Cotton gins, breweries, copper smelters, processors of forest products, and manufacturers of furniture and building materials also operate in the area, most of them on a relatively small scale. During "World War II several large industries developed in the lower basin. The world's largest magnesium, plant was located near Las Vegas. Factories producing and assembling airplanes and fabricating aluminum were established in Arizona, near Phoendx and Tucson. The recent increase in transportation facilities and low-cost electric energy have been important stimulants to industrial expansion in the lower basin. A probable deterrent to more intensive de- velopment is the proximity of this area to the man- ufacturing region of southern California. Mining The extensive mineral deposits of the basin have an annual value of output estimated at several hun- dred million dollars. Little use is made in the basin of th_e minerals mined locally; most of the ore recovered is used by industries outside the basin. In the upper basin, coal, oil, and natural gas are the most extensive and commercially important mineral resources. This region is also the leading domestic soxirce of vanadium, uranium and radium ore, gilsonifce, and molybdenum. Other commer- cially important metals are zinc, lead, silver, gold, copper, manganese, bismuth, and antimony. The enormous coal deposits in the upper basin (estimated at 400 billion tons) amount to approxi- mately one--third of all the coal in the United States, 360 but the percentage that can be economically recov- ered is known to be low. Consequently, estimates of reserves are subject to wide variations. Oil and gas have been found in 40 different fields, mostly in Colorado, Wyoming, and northwestern New Mexico. The largest deposits of oil shale in the United States are located in the upper basin in the Uinta Mountains and northwestern Colorado. Of nonferrous metals, gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper have been mined in very large quantities in die upper basin. The largest molybdenum dis- trict in the world is situated in northeastern Lake County, Colo. There are also potential sources of other industrial minerals, including phosphate, potash, sodium carbonate, salt, gypsum, limestone, and dolomite. In the lower basin, where valuable minerals are well distributed, copper is overwhelmingly most im- portant. Since 1910 Arizona has ranked as the highest State in copper production, with the largest reserve of ore in the basin at Morenci, Ariz. Gold and silver rank second and third as sources of in- come from mining; both are recovered largely as a byproduct of copper ores. Although there are large reserves of zinc in the lower basin, production is handicapped by the distance to zinc smelters. Other minerals found in this region include cobalt, mercury, manganese, vanadium, molybdenum, asbestos, and coal. Lumbering The upper basin contains extensive stands of timber. There are some sawmills which supply mainly local trade. Because of inaccessibility, freight rates, and low quality of the timber stands, the lumber from this region cannot compete na- tionally, and much is shipped in from outside. Lumbering centers around Flagstaff, Ariz., in the lower basin; production is not large. Because most of the forests in this area are under United States Forest Service jurisdiction, available timber re- sources are likely to remain fairly constant. Recreation The Colorado River Basin is rapidly becoming a national playground. Its spectacular natural beau- ties and sunny climate attract both vacationists and health seekers from all parts of the country. Bryce Canyon and Mesa Verde National Parks are among the numerous scenic wonders of the upper basin. It also contains the San Juan Na- |