Timeline of Human Activity on the Uncompahgre Plateau

• 9000-7000 BC Paleo-Indian occupation.
• 5500 BC– 500 AD Archaic Indian occupation period.
• 1200 AD– 1881 Ute Indian (Yutas) occupation. Utes used the Plateau for hunting and the river bottoms for winter camp sites.
• 1680’s– Introduction of horses on Plateau.
• Late 1600’s– 1720’s Utes hired as slavers by New Mexico Spanish, trading buckskins, hides, dried meat and slaves for horses, mules, firearms and iron products.
• 1750 – Spanish and Indian Treaty, led to first direct European-Aboriginal contact on the Uncompahgre Plateau.
• 1761-1765 – Don Juan Rivera crossed Plateau possibly three times.
• 1776– Dominguez and Escalante Expedition. First ‘recorded’ trade between Indian and European in Western Colorado. Utes called the Uncompahgre River “Anacapagri”.
• Early 1800’s– European trappers and traders entered area.
• 1828– Ft. Uncompahgre Trading Post established by Antoine Robidoux just north of Uncompahgre/Gunnison Rivers confluence.
• After 1848– Utes moved from one reservation to another.
• 1869– Uncompahgre Tribe described the Colorado Utes as a “whole” by Colorado Ute Reservation Indian Agent.
• 1870’s– Gold and silver mining in the San Juans.
• 1880– Ft. Crawford established near Colona for final movement of the Utes.
• 1881– Dave Wood Road built to haul food and supplies to ranchers and miners and to haul ore from Telluride and surrounding area.
• 1881 – Ute Indians removed from the Uncompahgre Valley to Utah by the U.S. Calvary under authority of the U.S. Congress to make way for settlement by whites.
• 1880’s– Lumbermen, ranchers and freighters established trails and roads throughout the Plateau. Many of the roads are believed to have followed Indian trails.
• 1881– Introduction of cattle from Gunnison to the Plateau by George and Bob Roberts.
• 1882– Town of Montrose incorporated.
• 1882– Railroad arrives in Montrose.
• 1880’s– Logging begins with some of the first sawmills built on the south end of the Plateau.
• Early 1900’s– elk, grizzly bear, and wolf extirpated; deer numbers low.
• 1905– Uncompahgre Plateau added to the National Forest Reserve System. Livestock grazing prior to this on a first come, first serve basis.
• 1906– 23,803 head of cattle and horses were permitted on National Forest. Early allotments controlled by large herd owners until 1930’s.
• 1909– Opening of the Gunnison Tunnel bringing additional irrigation water to the Uncompahgre Valley making way for extensive agricultural expansion.
• 1915– Sheep grazing allowed on upper Plateau. Heavy trespassing of livestock until 1936. Civilian Conservation Corps established on the Plateau, working on roads, trails and insect control.
• 1934– Taylor Grazing Act, regulated livestock grazing on public lands.
• 1930’s– 1970’s Uranium and Vanadium mining on the west side of the Plateau.
• 1930’s– 1970’s Vegetation and land treatments to improve grazing including contouring, chaining, spraying and seeding with exotics.
• 1970’s– Skiing and recreation in the Telluride area creates a boom for growth and subdivision growth and development occurs on the south end of the Plateau.
• 1970’s– Ranching and farming decline as lands are bought for development.
• 1980’s Recreation expansion on the Plateau, ATV’s, mountain bikes, hiking, etc as well as more home development on private in-holdings.
• 2000 The initiation of the Uncompahgre Plateau Project (UP).