F-376802 LIZARD HEAD PEAK UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION THE MONTEZUMA NATIONAL FOREST was established by proclamation of President Theodore Roosevelt on June 15, 1905. Its gross area is 837,228 acres, of which 737,440 acres are Government land. F-376865 OPHIR NEEDLES The topography of the forest varies from the extremely rugged San Miguel Range in the north and the rough but slightly lower La Plata Range on the east, to the high mesas of the southwe

Montezuma was the ninth king of Mexico and a powerful general of the Aztec tribes. When Hernando Cortez conquered Mexico in the early part of the sixteenth century, Montezuma was the dominant war chief of the Western Hemisphere and was held in fear by other tribes. He tried, however, to avoid war with the Spaniards and welcomed them to the capitol. Cortez, having thus obtained an advantage, held Montezuma and the city captive. In the succeeding battles, Montezuma was killed by his own people. Th

Spanish traders and explorers made frequent trips into southern Colorado during the eighteenth century. Those of record were led by Capt. Juan Marie de Rivera, in 1765, and Padre Francisco Escalante, in 1776. Each party followed approximately the same route from Santa Fe to the San Juan Basin, westward to the Mancos River, thence northward across the forest through the Dolores and San Miguel Valleys to the vicinity of the present town of Placerville. From this point they crossed the Dallas Divid

Mancos, where the forest headquarters are located, and the southern part of the forest may be reached over U S 160 from Durango and Alamosa, Colo., to the east or Cortez and Monticello, Utah, from the west. U S 550, a highly scenic route from Montrose, Ouray, and Silverton, joins U S 160 at Durango. F-376864 TROUT LAKE WITH VERMILION PEAK AND SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS IN BACKGROUND During the summer, busses operate over these highways between Grand Junction and the Mesa Verde National Park, which lies

There are 158 national forests within the United States, including two in Alaska and one in Puerto Rico. They contain approximately 175,000,000 acres of public land and are administered by the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. The Montezuma is one of 14 in Colorado. To grow a timber crop and to protect the forest and vegetative cover as a precautionary measure against erosion on the watersheds, are important and necessary. To this end the national forests were established

The forests of the Montezuma have high watershed value and a forest cover is very important, because the dominant soil types are silt and clay loam which erode readily. If these soils are not held in place, much material is carried away by the streams. In the aggregate, this has a considerable effect on the Colorado River and the water it furnishes for irrigation. The headwaters of the principal streams of this region rise on the forested watersheds of the Montezuma. These watersheds are covered

The Montezuma National Forest has a stand of about 2,072,000,000 board feet of timber. About 57 percent of this is Engelmann spruce, 23 percent is ponderosa pine, and 19 percent is a mixture of alpine and cork-bark fir. There are also small quantities of Douglas fir and piñon pine. During the last 5-year period there has been an average yearly cut of 12,000,000 board feet of lumber on the forest. Most of this was sawed at McPhee, where the largest sawmill in Colorado is located. It has a capacit

Raising livestock is a large and important industry in and adjoining the forest. Stock is wintered on the nearby ranches and depends for summer pasture on the forest ranges. Some 20,000 cattle and 66,000 sheep, owned by 285 stockmen, are grazed on the forest each summer. F-376871 MILL POND AT M’PHEE F-80528 SHEEP GRAZING IN A GRASS PARK AREA OF THE MONTEZUMA F-364895 IMPROVED PUBLIC CAMP AND PICNIC GROUNDS ARE AVAILABLE AT MANY ATTRACTIVE POINTS ON NATIONAL FORESTS AND ARE EQUIPPED WITH FIREPLAC

Mining was and still is an important industry of the forest region. The mines of Telluride and Ophir, in San Miguel County, have been heavy producers. Telluride, with its famous Liberty Bell, Smuggler Union, and Tomboy mines, is still one of the producing camps of southwestern Colorado. Figures furnished by the United States Bureau of Mines place the total ore production of these camps during the period 1875 to 1937, inclusive, at $119,349,969. The output for 1930 to 1937, inclusive, was $2,539,

The recreation areas of the forest are extensively used by local residents and tourists for picnicking, camping, fishing, hunting, and riding. Improved public camp and picnic grounds are available at many attractive points and are equipped with fireplaces, tables, and sanitary facilities. Medium-price resort accommodations are available near and within the forest from which trips may be made to points of scenic and historical interest. Saddle horses and pack horses are obtainable for those who w

The Wilson Mountain Wild Area extends west from Lizard Head and Blackface Mountains to Flat Top and Dolores Peaks and contains about 27,347 acres. Sunshine, Wilson, and Gladstone Mountains and Wilson Peak are included, and the area affords the utmost in scenery and mountain climbing. Nearly half of it is barren land above timberline. About 5,000 acres are wet meadows or alpine grasslands. The remainder is covered with timber, chiefly Engelmann spruce and alpine fir. Grazing of domestic stock, im

In 1937, forest officers estimated that there were 470 elk, 4,000 mule deer, 400 black or brown bears, and a few mountain sheep on the forest. Deer, mountain sheep, and bears are not increasing but are holding about even numbers, while elk are increasing. The forest could support more of these game animals, and efforts are being made to build up the big game resources. Game birds are not plentiful, but grouse and ptarmigan may be seen. Ducks nest on the numerous reservoirs and small lakes on the

The area now within the Montezuma National Forest suffered repeatedly from fires before the forest was established. Since being put under administration, the fire loss has been reduced. Nevertheless, the loss has been considerable—4,037 acres of timber, grass, and brushland within the forest having been burned over in 28 years, or an average of about 144 acres annually. Seventy-nine percent of this was burned in 6 bad fire years. In 6 favorable years, the loss was less than 1 acre annually. With

The Montezuma National Forest is divided into five ranger districts, each of which is administered by a forest ranger, working under the direction of the forest supervisor. The rangers are always ready to furnish information to visitors and assist them in every way possible. The headquarters of the supervisor and the rangers are listed below:...

PINES—Three species.—They have their needles gathered together at the base in bundles of from two to five. The cones are woody and pendent. Limber pine ( Pinus flexilis ).—Stout, dark-green needles, 1½ to 3 inches long, in bundles of five. Cones 3 to 10 inches long, with seeds about ⅓-inch in length. Cone scales smooth. Bark light gray, except on old trunks, which are blackish brown and furrowed. Ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ).—This tree was formerly known as western yellow pine. Needles 5 t

Aspen ( Populus tremuloides ).—Commonly called quaking aspen. Flat, broadly oval leaves, up to 4½ inches across, that tremble characteristically in a breeze. Bark whitish or very pale green, smooth, with black scars where branches have dropped off. Trees rarely more than 60 feet high. Narrowleaf cottonwood ( Populus angustifolia ).—Usually a tall tree, 40 to 60 feet high. Bark light yellow-green, divided near the base of old trees into flat ridges; smooth and thinner above. Leaves ¼ to 1 inch wi

1. PURIFICATION. —Mountain streams will not purify themselves in a few hundred feet. Boil or chlorinate all suspected water. 2. GARBAGE. —Burn or bury all garbage, papers, tin cans, and old clothes. 3. EXCRETIONS. —Bury a foot deep all human excretions, at least 200 feet from streams, lakes, or springs. 4. WASHINGS. —Do not wash soiled clothing, utensils, or bodies in streams, lakes, or springs. Use a container and throw dirty water on the ground away from the water supply. 5. TOILETS. —Use publ

1. MATCHES. —Be sure that your match is out. Break it in two before you throw it away. 2. TOBACCO. —Be sure that pipe ashes and cigar or cigarette stubs are dead before throwing them away. Never throw them into brush, leaves, or needles. Do not smoke while traveling through the woods. 3. MAKING CAMP. —Before building a fire scrape away all inflammable material from a spot 5 feet in diameter. Dig a hole in the center and in it build your campfire. Keep your fire small. Never build it against tree