OCR Text |
Show United States Highway 50 and to residents of the be desirable. Public control of the reservoir shores Grand Junction area, provided it were made rea- and of the Big Hole would also be desirable, sonably accessible. The area to be inundated is reported to contain It has been indicated by the Bureau of Reclama- several archeological sites and exposures of fossilized tion that a road for construction purposes would dinosaur bones. Fragments of petrified wood are have to be built from United States Highway 50 abundant. While it seems doubtful that any un- and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad molested archeological sites remain to be discov- to the dam site. It is recommended that this be ered, it is recommended that an archeologist inbuilt as a permanent road, to connect with the vestigate the area well in advance of reservoir con- unsubmerged portion of Utah State Highway 128 struction in order to record any important sites between the dam site and United States Highway that would be inundated. It is also recommended 160 near Moab. This would, in effect, retain the that the paleontology of the area be similarly in- present route from Moab through the spectacular vestigated. Red Canyon of the Colorado River to United States Highway 50, which not only is used as a The McPhee Reservoir site is in the beautiful short cut from Moab to Grand Junction, but af- Dolores River Valley, a short distance down stream fords access to the remarkable spires and buites of from the town of Dolores, Colo. The natural con- this part of the Colorado River Canyon. ditions are ideal for creating an artificial lake of Consideration should also be given to providing considerable beauty and recreational value. Fish- access by automobile from United States Highway ing is good in the upper sections of the Dolores 50 to a limited recreational development at the Big River and should be good in the reservoir. This Hole. Provision for boat trips in the canyon would section of the Dolores Valley is now used for pic- Figure 56.- Lake San Cristobal near Lake City, Colo. 116 |