Montezuma National Forest, Colorado (1939)

Part 1

MONTEZUMA NATIONAL FOREST COLORADO 1939

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION

The Montezuma National Forest

THE MONTEZUMA NATIONAL FOREST was established by proclamation of President Theodore Roosevelt on June 15, 1905. Its gross area is 837,228 acres, of which 737,440 acres are Government land.

The topography of the forest varies from the extremely rugged San Miguel Range in the north and the rough but slightly lower La Plata Range on the east, to the high mesas of the southwestern part. The Dolores River flows southwest through the eastern part of the forest. Near the town of Dolores the river makes an abrupt turn to the north, and the west boundary of the forest follows to a greater or less degree the Dolores River Valley. Throughout the forest innumerable streams and canyons lead down from the San Miguel and La Plata Ranges and the Dolores Plateau.

The San Miguel Range extends westward through the north end of the forest. Lizard Head Peak (13,156 feet), Sunshine Mountain, Lone Cone, Wilson, and Dolores Peaks, and Mount Wilson (14,250 feet) are outstanding topographical features.

MONTEZUMA—KING OF MEXICO

Montezuma was the ninth king of Mexico and a powerful general of the Aztec tribes. When Hernando Cortez conquered Mexico in the early part of the sixteenth century, Montezuma was the dominant war chief of the Western Hemisphere and was held in fear by other tribes. He tried, however, to avoid war with the Spaniards and welcomed them to the capitol. Cortez, having thus obtained an advantage, held Montezuma and the city captive. In the succeeding battles, Montezuma was killed by his own people.

The name has retained historically romantic significance and occurs frequently throughout the Southwest. It is appropriate for this forest where most of the names and many of the customs are of Spanish origin.

EARLY HISTORY OF THE AREA

Spanish traders and explorers made frequent trips into southern Colorado during the eighteenth century. Those of record were led by Capt. Juan Marie de Rivera, in 1765, and Padre Francisco Escalante, in 1776. Each party followed approximately the same route from Santa Fe to the San Juan Basin, westward to the Mancos River, thence northward across the forest through the Dolores and San Miguel Valleys to the vicinity of the present town of Placerville. From this point they crossed the Dallas Divide to the Uncompahgre and Gunnison Valleys. De Rivera’s route beyond that point is unrecorded. Escalante continued through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico to Santa Fe.

During these expeditions, Spanish names were given to many of the geographical and topographical features and were retained throughout the forest. Farther north, they were replaced by English names.

In 1831, the St. Louis Fur Company employed a party under command of W. G. Walton to trap along the headwaters of the San Juan River. The party spent the summer of 1833 in the valley of the Rio Dolores and at Trout Lake. Parties under the command of Lieutenant Howard in 1861 and Colonel Nash in 1866 were also in the Dolores Valley. Prospectors soon followed, and claims were located in the vicinity of Rico in 1869. Ranchers came in very soon after the prospectors, and the mining and cattle industries were principally responsible for settlement and development within and adjacent to the forest.

THE HIGHWAYS AND RAILROADS

Mancos, where the forest headquarters are located, and the southern part of the forest may be reached over U S 160 from Durango and Alamosa, Colo., to the east or Cortez and Monticello, Utah, from the west. U S 550, a highly scenic route from Montrose, Ouray, and Silverton, joins U S 160 at Durango.

During the summer, busses operate over these highways between Grand Junction and the Mesa Verde National Park, which lies a short distance south of the Montezuma National Forest.

The best approach from the south is U S 666, from Shiprock, N. Mex., to Cortez, on U S 160. From points near that junction two State highways extend northward through the forest. State Highway 145 passes through Dolores, Rico, Telluride, Placerville, and Norwood, important towns within or near the forest, to junctions with State Highways 62 and 90. State Highway 147 is a more direct route between Dolores and Norwood, and State Highway 184 connects Dolores and Mancos.

The Rio Grande Southern Railroad was completed in 1891 and led to the rapid development of the forest area. This railroad traverses approximately the same route as State Highway 145 between Dolores and Placerville, and the principal towns of the forest may be reached by rail from Ridgeway or Durango, where connections are made with the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.

OBJECTIVES OF NATIONAL FORESTS

There are 158 national forests within the United States, including two in Alaska and one in Puerto Rico. They contain approximately 175,000,000 acres of public land and are administered by the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. The Montezuma is one of 14 in Colorado.

To grow a timber crop and to protect the forest and vegetative cover as a precautionary measure against erosion on the watersheds, are important and necessary. To this end the national forests were established with the positive injunction that all their resources were to be protected, developed, and used in perpetuity for the benefit of all citizens. Therefore, conservative use of all forest resources, with adequate protection to insure a continual supply, has been the primary consideration in their management.

WATERSHED VALUES OF THE MONTEZUMA

The forests of the Montezuma have high watershed value and a forest cover is very important, because the dominant soil types are silt and clay loam which erode readily. If these soils are not held in place, much material is carried away by the streams. In the aggregate, this has a considerable effect on the Colorado River and the water it furnishes for irrigation.

The headwaters of the principal streams of this region rise on the forested watersheds of the Montezuma. These watersheds are covered with deep snows each winter, and the forest cover retards the melting snow and provides a more uniform distribution of the run-off. Watershed protection is, therefore, an essential and important factor in the administration of the forest.

Irrigation water for Thompsons Park, the Montezuma and Paradox Valleys, and the Norwood-Redvale country is provided by streams which rise in the Montezuma Forest. The towns of Rico and Telluride obtain their water supply from the forest. In addition to the use of water for irrigation and domestic purposes, a number of water-power sites have been developed on the forest. A large volume of water flows into the Colorado River, and these waters are impounded by Boulder Dam and used for power and irrigation in the general development of that project.

TIMBER IS CHIEF RESOURCE

The Montezuma National Forest has a stand of about 2,072,000,000 board feet of timber. About 57 percent of this is Engelmann spruce, 23 percent is ponderosa pine, and 19 percent is a mixture of alpine and cork-bark fir. There are also small quantities of Douglas fir and piñon pine.

During the last 5-year period there has been an average yearly cut of 12,000,000 board feet of lumber on the forest. Most of this was sawed at McPhee, where the largest sawmill in Colorado is located. It has a capacity of 80,000 board feet each working day. In previous years, it has sawed considerable timber cut from privately-owned land, but is now dependent largely upon timber from the forest. The spruce timber, of which there is a large amount on the Montezuma, is especially well suited for pulpwood.

Part 2

Timber is grown and cut in accordance with approved forestry methods. Mature trees to be removed are marked in advance of cutting by trained foresters. Trees which are not mature are left to be cut in later years. They respond to the influence of more light, soil moisture, and nutriment with greatly increased growth and also seed the open places.

UTILIZATION OF FORAGE RESOURCES

Raising livestock is a large and important industry in and adjoining the forest. Stock is wintered on the nearby ranches and depends for summer pasture on the forest ranges. Some 20,000 cattle and 66,000 sheep, owned by 285 stockmen, are grazed on the forest each summer.

The handling of the summer range is a large undertaking. Distribution and management of livestock are carefully regulated to prevent damage to the forest growth and to conserve the forage resources. A cover of grasses and weeds must be retained to prevent erosion. Forest officers constantly study the ranges and work with stockmen in planning management of grazing and construction of improvements needed for the control of stock.

In the allotment of range, previous use of the range and the raising of sufficient forage to feed stock during the winter are determining factors. The permanent ranch owner is given preference, which helps to stabilize the industry.

HERE MINING IS ALSO IMPORTANT

Mining was and still is an important industry of the forest region. The mines of Telluride and Ophir, in San Miguel County, have been heavy producers. Telluride, with its famous Liberty Bell, Smuggler Union, and Tomboy mines, is still one of the producing camps of southwestern Colorado. Figures furnished by the United States Bureau of Mines place the total ore production of these camps during the period 1875 to 1937, inclusive, at $119,349,969. The output for 1930 to 1937, inclusive, was $2,539,940.

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