The Past - Emigration to the Southern Rockies

In the 1800's, gold hunger drove people into the SR region and created countless "boom and bust" towns.

One such town was Cripple Creek, as discussed in the industry section, was once the largest city in Colorado. It was also very techonologically advanced - it had gas street lights and electric trolley cars before New York, Paris, and London.

The area around Pikes Peak was also a popular area for settlement as it was rumored to be rich in mineral deposits, but the rumors were unfounded.

Pikes Peak

Despite this, large numbers of people emigrated there to find their fortune.

One popular chant from the era went:

"The gold is there, most anywhere

You can take it out rich with an iron crowbar

And where it is thick with a shovel and pick

You can pick it out in lumps as big as a brick!"

When settlers realized there was nothing valuable to mine at Pikes Peak, they crossed off "Pikes Peak or Bust" and replaced it with "Busted by Clod."

People who didn't have the funds to return to their original homes stayed in the area and farmed.

Some facts about Denver: -aka: 1st, St. Charles, 2nd, Denver City, 3rd, Denver. Nickname: Mile High City

-5,280 feet above sea level

-destroyed by fire during Civil War

-damaged by extensive flooding in 1864

-railroads! mining!

-boom and bust mining economy

-now mostly relies on tourism for $

-@ where south Platte meets Cherry Creek

-capital of Colorado

-4 railroads fought over the ability and space to build a track between Denver and Mexico City.

-an additional railroad went through Leadville.

On a county level, the Southern Rockies contain 7 of the top 20 fastest growing counties in the nation. This growth is leading to urban sprawl and expansion of low-density residential areas into natural landscapes. This housing boom is one of the most significant agents of landscape change in the Southern Rockies. The physical expansion of housing in the Southern Rockies is actually occurring at a rate faster than population growth, due largely to lower-density suburban development and the boom in exurban and ranchette rural development. In addition, because population statistics are tied to the primary place of residence, the rapid population growth rates in the ecoregion also belie the magnitude of landscape change caused by the numerous vacation- and second-homes in the Southern Rockies, which is twice the U.S. average. Up to 83% of housing units in some Southern Rockies' communities are considered vacant by the U.S. Census Bureau. Almost all of these are second homes and other part-time residences.

In the Southern Rockies these developments have expanded into agricultural lands, important wildlife habitat, and formerly remote natural areas. In addition, the negative impact of housing expansion on ecosystems and species is actually much greater than the total acreage directly developed. For instance, low-density development is scattered throughout the Southern Rockies' natural ecosystems rather than being concentrated in dense cores, resulting in a greater fragmenting effect on native habitat. In many mountain valleys and foothill forests, for example, low-density exurban and even less dense "ranchette" developments (1 unit per 40 - 80 acres) often occur in formerly remote locations along public-private ownership boundaries, and in some cases can block wildlife movement or isolate wildlife habitat on surrounding public lands.

In addition, most development occurs and will continue to occur in low to mid-elevation ecosystems and along riparian areas. These habitats are generally the most biologically rich in the ecoregion and are crucial to the majority of the Southern Rockies' native species. Developed areas also create a "disturbance zone" that extends well into adjacent natural habitat, due to factors such as predation by household pets, the spread of noxious weeds, increases in aggressive human-adapted species (raccoons & skunks), and increases in recreational activity surrounding developed areas.