THE NATIONAL FORESTS OF COLORADO 



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Most of the mining activity has been concentrated between the 

 southern arms of the forest near Leadville, and the demand for wood 

 has considerably reduced the volume of surrounding timber. North 

 of the divide is a similar but somewhat lesser development. Timber 

 for the support of this industry will be provided by the Dillon 

 working circle which has been placed under a very definite manage- 

 ment plan. This development, though less spectacular than that 

 around the city of Leadville, is still of importance and promises an 

 equal degree of stability. 



The main line of the Denver & Rio Grande "Western Railroad and 

 an important automobile highway in the southern portion of the for- 

 est parallel the Arkansas River and finally cross it in the vicinity 

 of Tennessee Pass where both enter the Holy Cross National Forest. 



Fig. 14. — Twin Peaks and Lakes, Leadville National Forest 



Other automobile roads cross at Fremont and Hoosier Passes to the 

 Blue River watershed, where they join and lead on down this valley 

 to the Colorado River. From Twin Lakes, south of Leadville, a road 

 leads west through the forest over Independence Pass, the highest in 

 the State, to Aspen. And from Buena Vista, near the south end, is 

 another road along Trout Creek connecting this valley with South 

 Park, Denver, and Colorado Springs. In spite of these and a num- 

 ber of shorter roads leading into the Leadville Forest at intervals, also 

 a narrow-gauge branch of the Colorado & Southern Railroad from 

 Denver, most of the area can be reached only on horseback or afoot. 



THE COCHETOPA NATIONAL FOREST 



The Cochetopa National Forest, lying south of the Leadville and 

 north of the Rio Grande forests, embraces a region which once formed 



