In 1858, gold was discovered in the area now known as Denver. With that discovery, Colorado experienced a rapid influx of settlers and miners. To avoid huge conflict with the native Ute Indians, various treaties were passed that shrunk the Ute’s ancestral territory. The newly ‘freed up’ land was quickly filled with settlers seeking their fortunes.

Leading up to this decade, gold fever was widespread. The Hanging Flume was completed and in use by 1891. Telluride’s population had more than tripled to 5000 making it the largest town in the area. The population shown in the graph is much smaller due to the Panic of ’93, a stock market crash that led to the bankruptcy of the Hanging Flume and many other projects around the country.

Between 1900 and 1910, the Hanging Flume never turned a profit and was abandoned. Over the next several decades, it was used for irrigation and minor mining projects. However, the first decade of the century was a prosperous time for Grand Junction. As its population grew, the city could offer more resources and opportunities to its residents than could be found in the mining towns.

Although mining was not as prominent as it was during in the gold rush, the discovery of Carnotite (used to make uranium) and WWI made Uravan and the neighboring towns more appealing. The town of Nucla was established as a communal living experiment – the Colorado Co-operative Company.

The years leading up to the 1930 census was a great time for everyone. Not until the Great Depression began in 1929 did the frailty of Wall Street hit home. Many residents of the mining towns relocated to Grand Junction where the effects of the depression were not as harsh.

The decade leading up to the 1940’s census, brought little change to the area. People did what they needed to survive and the populations of the small towns were steady.

By 1950, World War II and the desire for nuclear power fueled the mining efforts in Uravan. The uranium milled here was used as a part of the Manhattan project (research project to develop the first atomic bomb).

Uranium mining continued through the 1950’s but eventually declined over the next couple of decades. Most of the mines in Telluride closed in 1953. The steady population drop in the 1960 and 1970 censuses reflects the closures.

As the uranium mines in Uravan steadily declined, residents of the surrounding towns either moved away or starting up ranching operations. Grand Junction, on the other hand, became extremely popular because it was rich in oil reserves. As gas prices soared Grand Junction boomed.

After the final mining bust in 1953, Telluride was a ghost town. Not until the Swedes and the Finns introduced skiing in the middle part of the 1970’s, did Telluride regain its popularity. Although one mining town was re-gaining popularity, Uravan suffered from extreme environmental hazards that ultimately led to a mass clean up effort that included demolishing the town.

For the most part, life in the 80’s and 90’s didn’t change much. The oil industry busted in 1982, leaving Grand Junction crippled financially, but the population was stable.

Today, the towns around the Hanging Flume are small but still face the boom and bust cycle of mining. Living in an area rich in American history, these towns aim to preserve and share their rich history with the world and in turn stabilize their economies with tourism.