Colorado Agricultural Heritage
Colorado Agricultural Heritage of the West
The agricultural heritage of the West and Colorado is a big part of the pioneering of the West. People migrated for various reasons once the West became “open” to settlers. Some pioneers in hopes of striking it rich during the Gold Rush era. Others just wanted a better life and were on the lookout for premium farm country. Still, others wanted to stake their American claim on the newly found country. Farming and ranching were the way of life during those days, and Colorado was no exception.
Colorado Agricultural Heritage
With an abundance of lush natural grasslands and fertile mountain valleys. Wild game and cattle easily flourished. This enabled the cattle industry to expand and grow during the open-range era of Colorado and the West. Beef was a primary food source for both settlers and the residents of Colorado and California mining towns. Once towns began to develop, the early settlers worked together to create irrigation and develop farm crops in the fertile mountain valleys. Below is a quick overview of the successful farming in Fremont County.
The oldest orchards in Colorado’s agricultural heritage were in Fremont County! The first apple trees (brought across the Great Plains in oxcarts) were planted in the Florence area by Jesse Frazer in the late 1860s and later by Italian families, along with grapes in the Spring Creek/Brookside area. The Arkansas River and its streams were the source of early irrigation works, and the area’s elevation, climate, sheltering hills, and tillable soil provided a good setting for orchards, farms, and ranches.
Initial markets for Fremont County’s agricultural heritage products included early Colorado mining camps, such as Cripple Creek and Leadville, for fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy products, meat, and other provisions. By 1888, total fruit shipments from Fremont County exceeded 700,000 pounds, primarily consisting of apples, as well as pears, grapes, plums, peaches, strawberries, and other berries. Fremont County’s 40,000 bushels of apples compared to that year’s production of 60,000 bushels for the entire state!
Private investment stimulated the development of the agricultural industry, providing irrigation canals, storage reservoirs, and land preparation. By 1893, over 45,000 acres of land were in agricultural production. Irrigation was provided by 13 canals from the Arkansas River, Grape Creek, etc. Businessmen, schoolteachers, and other residents had small orchards or gardens producing fruit, berries, and other crops for seasonal sale at farmers’ markets as supplemental income. Italian workers savored a taste of their home country through wine made from grapevines they had grown as a family tradition.
Associated enterprises, such as packing houses, flour mills, an ice plant, a Libby-McNeil-Libby pickle plant, cider mills, a creamery, and soda bottling companies, prospered. In 1905, Armour & Company of Chicago marketed Fremont County’s fruit and produce in major cities across the country as part of its extensive distribution network. An average of 800 rail cars (some refrigerated) per year of agricultural products were shipped to market.
Colorado’s Agricultural Heritage Today
Colorado’s agricultural industry remains fundamental to the local produce market. Although the open range days and the roaming lifestyles of early cowboys are gone by, the heritage of the West can still be found. Local rodeos celebrate the rituals of the old and present ranching lifestyles.
Areas that became breadbaskets early on continue to produce fruits and vegetables today. Produce such as Palisade peaches has gained National notoriety. Vinyards have also gained traction, combined with the popularity of winetasting rooms, which benefit from Colorado tourism.
Colorado is fruitful on many levels. It always has been and continues to be. Its agricultural heritage is strong and has left a lasting mark on our cultural history, with tales of the West that continue to be glorified today. Although the centennial state’s heritage endures, so does the impact of our local agriculture, from farmers’ markets to beef and other products appreciated abroad. Colorado’s agricultural industry is strong and continues to impact our lifestyles.
