Delta in Delta County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Western Slope Agriculture
⎯⎯⎯
Delta County
Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 8, 2018
1. Western Slope Agriculture Marker
According to an 1888 U.S. Department of Agriculture report, western Colorado's thin soils, high altitude, and lack of rainfall rendered the region totally unfit for cultivation. The documents author apparently failed to notice the fruit orchards already proliferating in the valleys of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers. Here, warm days and cool nights ripened sweet produce to perfection, and the mining towns south and east provided ready markets. Between 1890 and 1902 Delta County fruit took first place honors at every state fair except one, adding gold medals at the 1893 and 1898 world's fairs. Ever since, Delta County has been a leading producer of Colorado apples, cherries, peaches, and pears.
Before the advent of rail service, Western Slope farmers had to hustle to get their harvests to market before the rot set in. But the 1882 arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande gave local planters easy access to Denver and Salt Lake City consumers, and the subsequent introduction of refrigerated railroad cars and warehouses placed both coasts within reach. Throughout the twentieth century local agriculture became increasingly mechanized, enabling farmers to raise larger crops, and Delta sprouted a phalanx of canneries, packing houses, and food processing plants, driving the
this page online
Photo captions
Top left: Wagons at the Delta beet dump, c. 1920
Bottom left: Tomato juice machine, Delta Canning Factory, 1939
Top right: Mexican sugar beet workers, Delta, Colorado, c. 1920
Bottom right: Delta County apple harvest, c. 1920
Erected 1998 by the Colorado State Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the History Colorado series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1888.
Location. 38° 44.953′ N, 108° 4.471′ W. Marker is in Delta, Colorado, in Delta County. It is on North Palmer Street 0.1 miles north of Confluence Drive, on the right when traveling north. Located near the parking lot of the Fort Uncompahgre Interpretive Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 440 North Palmer Street, Delta CO 81416, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Western Slope. It is also in the American Mountain West and in Colorado Plateau. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance
Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 8, 2018
2. Delta County Marker
Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 8, 2018
3. View of marker looking southerly towards intersection of Palmer Street & Confluence Drive.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 8, 2018
4. View from marker towards Fort Uncompahgre Interpretive Center & Fort.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 14, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 660 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 14, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
