THE NATIONAL FORESTS OF COLORADO 



29 



separates the West Needles from the main group. From Needle Creek on the 

 south to Elk Creek on the north, and from the Vallecito to the Animas, they form 

 a group of peaks almost unequalled in this country in altitude and in boldness 

 of their forms. 



Like the Leadville mountains they contain rich minerals, and very- 

 close to the top of the range have gown up such mining towns as 

 Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride. 



The San Juan, covering about 1,239,000 acres, is the largest na- 

 tional forest in Colorado. The Continental Divide bounds it on the 

 east and separates it from the Rio Grande National Foest. 



One main road, from Red Mountain on the Uncompahgre-San 

 Juan boundary to Durango, crosses this forest from north to south. 

 Other shorter roads enter the boundary at various points and lead 

 a few miles toward the interior. The Wolf Creek Pass Highway 

 crosses the forest east and west, and at the top of the pass enters the 

 Rio Grande National Forest. 



Fig. 20. — Motor truck hauling logs. The large log on ground in front of truck 

 contains 1,270 feet board measure western yellow pine. San Juan National Forest 



The extensive timber stands on the San Juan are still in process 

 of inventory, but they give promise of supporting a large industry 

 in the future. Although there has been a consistent timber-sale 

 activity on the more accessible areas of the San Juan some large 

 bodies of timber were for many years considered inaccessible because 

 of the rugged topography of the country, but improvements in local 

 transportation facilities and the increasing price of timber products 

 are making this large resource more available. 



The livestock industry has always been important in the San 

 Juan country, and the grazing resource of the forest is very valuable. 



Seekers for gold, Spanish missionaries, and explorers came into 

 this part of Colorado at a very early date. Extending the quest for 

 gold from Mexico northward and beyond the Rio Grande, Vasquez 

 Coronado, with an expedition of 350 Spaniards and 800 Indians, 

 penetrated the San Juan Mountains in the year 1541. More 'than 

 two centuries later, in 1776, Padre Francisco Silvestra Velez Es- 



