NOTE : Each WesternLore column will discuss the native trees,
shrubs, grasses flowers, (known to exist prior to European settlement)
minerals etc., of a selected area in the American West.
The information included will be carefully researched to offer
authentic background information for western writers.
I will also occasionally add information about weather cycles and
phenomena with dates.
Simple, mundane facts that make your background ring true will allow
your reader to suspend disbelief and enjoy your story. -- Anne
Ordinary and Unusual facts about Colorado
Colorado is full of
natural things that are precious to our society. Most western readers
would naturally think of mining silver and gold in Colorado, but early
settlers soon found that those mountains held coal, diamonds and lead in
addition to the most obvious metals. Besides metals they found stone
and timber for building.
Beef cattle are
important in Colorado, but the state leads the union in sheep raising.
The land is uniquely fashioned for their use. More than 1,000 of
Colorado's mountains are over 10,000 feet high. The plains are in
eastern Colorado, but even they are more than half a mile above sea
level. Many acres of the plains are devoted to raising wheat, although
vegetables and flowers are also important crops where irrigation is
available.
Most of Colorado's
people and farms are in the eastern part of the state, but most of the
rain and snow fall on the western side of the mountains. Water was the
greatest challenge to settlement of Colorado. Today, Boulder's water
supply is water that melts from the Arapahoe Glacier.
The United States
government owns many acres of Colorado's land. Cattle ranchers, sheep
rancher, and miners lease the land for their operations.
More to come
SILVER CREEK, by A.
H. Holt
http://www.ahholt.com
Native Shrubs of Southern Colorado
Colorado's terrain creates five distinct and well-defined plant
communities. The southeastern area, known as the Plains life zone
(3500-5500 feet elev.) is dominated by grasslands and cottonwoods near water.
The Upper Sonoran life zone is found at slightly higher elevations up
to 7500 feet in Western Colorado. This zone is characterized by
semi-desert shrubs, pinon pine and juniper woodlands near the tree line.
Another area to the south and east is the Foothills zone Where dry
land shrubs include Gambel oak and Mountain mahogany, and sometimes
Pinon-Juniper and
sagebrush.
The Montane zone, at elevations of 8,000 to 9,500 feet consists of
Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, Lodgepole pine and in the highest areas,
aspen.
The Subalpine zone is dominated by forests of fir and spruce. These
elevations are from 9,500 to 11,500 feet.
Above the forested areas the Alpine zone begins around 11,500 feet.
This zone is made up of grasslands.
Water loving species of trees and shrubs occur along streams and
around springs throughout all zones.
So don't put a grove of Douglas fir or aspens near a stream in a
valley unless you can explain how they managed to get there. And don't
tie your horse to an aspen tree when it should be eating cactus.
More to come
SILVER CREEK, by A. H. Holt
http://www.ahholt.com
Subscribe to this zine
by sending an e-mail to
WesternFictionReview@WesternFictionReview.com
with subscribe in the subject line
