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AGRICULTURE
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The Beginning
In early August 1859, three brothers from Pennsylvania, Henry, Luther, and Sylvanus Wellman arrived in Boulder. They saw the area’s farming potential and claimed 640 of land about two and a half miles east of Boulder along the creek, near what is now the northeast corner of Arapahoe and Foothills Parkway. Despite the late start they still sowed and acre of turnips with hopes to sell them to the mining communities at the end of the season. However, luck was not on their side. About one month later, a swarm of locusts rained from the sky, and the reported foot-deep pile of insects quickly devoured the young plants that were Boulder’s first planted crop. The following season the Wellman’s sowed the first wheat in the county and brought forty-five bushels at harvest.
Over the years the brothers continued to cultivate their land harvesting up to forty acres of wheat in addition to hay, grains, and vegetables. Gradually other farmers planted more varieties of grains and crops such as oats, barley, hay, and alfalfa. These grains were not only for human consumption but also to feed all the pack animals necessary for work around town and in the mines.
Irrigation
Very quickly settlers realized that in order for Boulder and the mining towns to survive, the community would need to supply its own food. To succeed in farming, especially in the dry climate of Colorado, water was essential. In October of 1859, Marinus Smith and William Pell dug Boulder’s first irrigation ditch to supply water to their fruit and vegetable gardens. By the end of the year there were a total of four ditches supplying water from Boulder Creek to area farms.
Fruits and Vegetables
Within the first ten years local gardeners and horticulturists grew an amazing variety of vegetables and fruits such as asparagus, beans, cauliflower, corn, tomatoes, turnips, winter squashes, cherries, currants, grapes, gooseberries, huckleberries, peaches, pie plant (rhubarb), plums, raspberries, and strawberries. Marinus Smith was the first to experiment with vegetable and fruit varieties to find ones that worked well in the dry climate and occasionally short growing seasons. His work paid off as his high-quality produce brought him accolades at the first annual Boulder County Fair in 1869 making him, and his fruits and vegetables, well-known throughout the county.
Grazing and Stock
The early settlers quickly found the upland meadows and plains were natural areas for grazing and growing stock. Grasses were found in all areas of the county, and even at high elevations animals could enjoy the native rye, wild oats, and timothy grasses. With the introduction of irrigation, the dry plains were transformed and usable acreage expanded to support more herds of cattle, horses and sheep.
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