The impact Colorado’s natural resources have had on its development as a state cannot be overstated. This book looks at how mining and ranching have helped shape the history, culture, and people of the Centennial State. From the Gold Rush to modern-day agriculture, the book considers how economy, industry, and the environment have all affected and been affected by the presence of these resources.

The impact Colorado’s natural resources have had on its development as a state cannot be overstated. This book looks at how mining and ranching have helped shape the history, culture, and people of the Centennial State. From the Gold Rush to modern-day agriculture, the book considers how economy, industry, and the environment have all affected and been affected by the presence of these resources.

"This volume represents the fourth in a series of five Class 1 Overview histories prepared by the Colorado State Office, Bureau of Land Management. The purpose of these works is to develop a synthetic history of a given area in order to provide our managers and staff specialists with a baseline overview of the history of a district. ... It must be noted that the major cities , like Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Greeley are only mentioned. This is because there is no public land in these places and the Bureau's mandate is to manage the public lands, not private estates."--Foreword.

Leading mining historian Kerby Jackson introduces us to a classic mining publication on Colorado Mining. First published in 1867, it has been unavailable since those days and sheds important light on Colorado's early mining history. Written shortly after the events took place, this publication sheds important light on the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, the discovery of gold on Ralston Creek and Dry Creek in the 1850's, as well as details on the first wave of miners into Colorado and their trials and tribulations as they crossed the Great Plains. Also included are details on early discoveries of lode gold in the mountainous regions of Colorado, details on the early mines hardrock and placer mines, and much more. It is a veritable treasure trove on Colorado's early mining history and will be of great importance to anyone who is interested in the mining of gold or other minerals in Colorado, as well as those interested in the history of the state. Note: This edition is a perfect facsimile of the original edition and is not set in a modern typeface. As such, some type characters and images might suffer from slight imperfections or minor shadows in the page background.