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Photographed 24 July 2018.
The Ghost Town of Independence
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The Ute Indians
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The Rocky Mountains are the center of the Ute's world.
According to legend, the Ute were the mountains' first people.
They spent their lives migrating with the seasons and
following the animals that fed them, clothed them,
and guided them spiritually and socially.
Many Modern day roads and passes are trails
the Ute traveled for hundreds of years as they followed their
migratory paths.
Desire for the Ute's territory became overwhelming when gold
was found in 1858.
Tens of thousands of prospectors and settlers
poured into the mountains.
By 1861, the Colorado Territory was created and,
in 1879, the Roaring Fork Valley was
opened to prospectors eager to stake their claims.
By 1880, the Ute were relocated to three reservations.
The Ute, whose homelands included the Roaring Fork Valley,
found it especially difficult to be exiled from their mountain home
to the semi-arid land of Southern Colorado and Eastern Utah.
Their traditional way of life was altered
and they were no longer allowed to hunt and gather in the mountains,
but were expected to farm on semi-arid lands.
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Geology, Elevation 10,900 ft
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About 69 million years ago, there was widespread volcanic activity
in the mountains of Colorado.
Ore-bearing fluids circulated through that is known as
the Leadville limestone formation creating the rich mining districts
of Colorado.
The Aspen silver veins,
discovered in the 1870s during the Hayden Survey,
originated as part of this process
and are considered the most highly faulted region in the state.
The most recent glacial period,
the Wisconsin Ice Age,
ended 10,000 years ago,
forming many of the landmarks and valleys seen along Highway 82 today.
The Rocky Mountains filled with hundreds of feet of accumulated
snow and ice that flowed downhill from its own weight,
grinding with terrific pressure into river valleys,
creating the “U-shaped” valleys of the Roaring Fork.
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Location records that use this photograph:
Article records that use this photograph:
Other photos about Geography - Colorado or Pitkin County, Independence.
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Date and time this page was prepared:
12/8/2024 2:13:53 PM
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Eastern Mojave Vegetation