The United States Reclamation Service, later renamed the Bureau of Reclamation, was created in 1902 to advance settlement of the West through construction of large dams, reservoirs, canals, and other projects. Since then, the service has played an…

The story of irrigation in Colorado’s Grand Valley speaks volumes about the reciprocal relationship between land and community in the arid American West. Early white colonizers of Colorado’s Western Slope espoused concepts of landscape and water control…

The city of Montrose lies in the heart of the Uncompahgre Valley on Colorado’s Western Slope, about sixty miles southeast of Grand Junction and sixty-three miles east of the Utah border. With a population of about 20,000, it is the county seat and…

Montrose County covers 2,243 square miles in western Colorado. Named for its seat, Montrose, the county is bordered to the north by Mesa and Delta Counties, to the east by Gunnison County, to the south by Ouray and San Miguel Counties, and to the west by…