Before the arrival of settlers in the mountain valleys of north-central
Colorado in 1860, only the Ute and Arapaho Indians of the region and a
few adventuresome white trappers knew the wildlife then so abundant
throughout the area. They alone had observed the thousands of elk and
small groups of mountain bison (buffalo) grazing the alpine meadows in
the summer. Plentiful herds of mule deer roamed the valleys and forests
and hundreds of flocks of wild mountain sheep fed on tufts of grass and
flowers on rugged mountain slopes above timberline. Even an infrequent
moose wandering down from his more northerly habitat could be seen in
the lower wet meadows.
Along with these wonderful groups of hoofed animals lived the predatory,
or carnivorous, animals. The powerful and vicious wolverines were common
in the heavy forests of the high mountains, as were huge grizzly bears,
occasional timber wolves, and cougars. The Canada lynx and mountain
bobcat preyed on animals their size and smaller in the pine and spruce
timber, while the red fox and rare gray fox were effective squirrel,
mouse, and rabbit catchers. Pine martens chased small rodents through
deeper forested regions, and they in turn were preyed on the larger
carnivores. Numerous otter, mink, and weasel played in and along rushing
mountain streams and clear lakes, feeding on a great variety of aquatic
animals, fish, and small meadow rodents.
This scene might have remained relatively undisturbed had not white man
arrived in the region. His rapid settlement and use of the area after
1870 had a startling and widespread effect on the wildlife populations
in the next fifty years. Had he been satisfied to develop a small
portion of the mountain country and take only sufficient food and
clothing materials as they were needed from the wild species, the story
might have been different. Instead, the unprecedented mountain scenery,
climate, and animals attracted scores of vacationists, sport hunters,
trappers, and market hunters, all anxious to profit from the
newly-discovered virgin territory.
The great fur demand in St. Louis and Denver at this time attracted
scores of trappers; they diligently pursued the valuable fur-bearers
until, in 1915, the otters and wolverines were practically extinct in
the Rocky Mountain regions of Colorado, and remain in that condition
today. A few have been seen recently in the state, but they are
exceedingly rare. Beaver were heavily trapped even before the settlers
arrived. Mink, marten, and red fox also reached a very low ebb in
population in the early 1900's.
The "sportsmen" and market hunters were taking an even greater toll with
their systematic slaughter of big game animals. The small herds of
mountain bison, as well as any sign of transient moose, had disappeared
by 1865. Deer and elk were so plentiful and easy to kill that wagon
loads of their meat were hauled from the mountains to Denver markets
where they were sold for as little as four cents a pound. Probably the
easiest to condemn are the hunters who, in the late 1880's, killed
hundreds of elk, plus many deer and sheep, with little effort on their
frequent organized hunts of "sport." Often the carcasses were left to
rot or just the head trophy and a few choice steaks were taken from the
fallen animals. The area around Estes Park was particularly noted for
this irresponsible recreation. Actually the greatest reduction in animal
numbers was accentuated by the actions of a few individuals and not by
the concentrated efforts of all those present in the area. By 1913 elk
had entirely disappeared from the Estes Park region and almost from the
state. Also, during this infamous period sheep had been reduced from an
estimated 4,000 in 1870 to a little over 1,000 forty years later. The
mule deer, having a wider natural range, and not banding together in the
summer as elk frequently do, were able to survive the hunting pressures
somewhat better; however, the former abundant herds were then
considerably reduced. The increase of settlements and the introduction
of domestic stock further lessened the numbers by decreasing available
feeding grounds.
The establishment of man in the main mountain valleys leading to the
foothills was particularly important to the past and even present
welfare of the rugged mountain sheep, one of the finest of all wild
animals in the mountains. Wild sheep in early days always migrated
through these valleys in the winter to the foothills (5,000 to 6,000
feet), where they were able to obtain bone-building minerals available
in the sedimentary rocks. These minerals were not available in the high
mountain granitic rocks and present evidence indicates that they are
highly essential for successful and sturdy lamb crops. Man's dwellings
created an effective barrier to these animals and no longer did they
make their way to the foothills each winter. This situation probably
weakened the breeding stock. In addition, there were other declining
factors such as hunting and in particular, the grazing of domestic sheep
on former wild sheep ranges. This not only reduced available forage for
wild sheep, but also introduced certain diseases of domestic sheep into
the flocks. Sheep scabies reached epidemic proportions in the late
1800's, wiping out hundreds of wild bighorn.
A woefully miscast belief that gained common acceptance in the early
1900's forecast the decline of another group of interesting animals--the
carnivores. The conception, fostered mainly by stockmen of the
mountains, was that any kind of animal known to kill domestic sheep or
cattle was detrimental and therefore all those animals should be
eliminated. Consequently, an organized effort was made by stockmen with
the co-operation of the federal government to "trap out" and kill these
species. The success of their efforts in Colorado is evidenced in the
virtual extinction of such indigenous mammals as the grizzly bear, the
timber wolf, and the Canada lynx, and in a great reduction in the
numbers of black bears, cougars, and bobcats. The coyote, while not so
abundant in the mountains earlier, was the only predatory animal able to
hold his own against the trapping, and has actually thrived in settled
areas. Wildlife investigators have assembled a mass of evidence
indicating that it is not the ordinary habit of these carnivores to feed
regularly on domestic stock. Rather, it is the occasional or rare
individual animal which confines its predation to domestic sheep or
cattle. This being the case, it is the more usual practice now to
confine extermination to those marauding individuals, rather than the
entire race of animals. Many of the carnivorous animals have been
protected since 1926 by state and federal laws.
The hopefulness of mankind regarding wildlife is seen in the aesthetic
consideration finally given to these decimated animal populations. The
establishment of protection areas, especially Rocky Mountain National
Park in 1915, where complete protection is given to all animals, and the
passing of state and federal laws for protection of game and regulation
of hunting, were last minute efforts to save this splendid portion of
American heritage.
In an effort to re-establish the elk in Rocky Mountain National Park,
about thirty of these large animals were transported from Wyoming, 1913
to 1914, and released near Estes Park. Under complete protection these
elk increased to approximately 1500 animals in 1941. Other early elk
"releases" in Colorado brought the total elk population to about 25,000
in the state during the same period. The protection of mule deer in the
Park increased their numbers to over 1,700 in 1941 and in Colorado to
nearly 400,000. From less than 1,000 in number, the mountain sheep in
the area started to increase gradually in 1909 and were "coming back"
satisfactorily in the Park area. For Colorado in 1922, Seton
optimistically estimated a bighorn sheep population of 8,000. However,
in 1922 there began a gradual decline of sheep culminating in a counted
number of 300 within the National Park boundaries in 1939. The estimate
for Colorado in 1947 was 2,700, most of which were on National Forest
land.
Of the formerly trapped smaller mammals in the region, the beaver and
marten have come back remarkably well, being abundant in many locations
now. As an indication of beaver numbers and value in Colorado, some
40,000 beaver were estimated to be in the state in 1946; of these, 8,640
were trapped. A gross value of $272,323 was realized from beaver for
this year. The black bear, cougar, bobcat, red fox, and mink, while not
considered common, are still sufficiently abundant to be glimpsed
occasionally in the region of the Park. They appear to be maintaining
their numbers. Coyotes, originally plains animals, are abundant,
probably numbering over 200 individuals. The presence of other mammals
such as skunk, badger, porcupine, marmot, muskrat, squirrel, rabbit, and
other small rodents indicates they are holding a steady or increasing
population, although no definite counts have been made. There is good
reason to believe that the coyote, richardson ground squirrel, and abert
squirrel are examples of mammals relatively new and increasing in the
mountains over 6,000 feet.
[Illustration: Lush tundra vegetation, above 11,000 feet, provides
summer forage for deer, elk, and sheep. Photo by author from Trail
Ridge Road.]
[Illustration: Elk wintering in lower mountain valleys. Cow elk in
background is feeding on aspen bark. Photo by N.P.S.]