Show cattle industry contributes much to cortez economy therspe there are re a lot of good things to cat eat I 1 in so southwestern ue h wes t ern colorado but topping them all Is the bee ce that Is grown there almost beef cattle are now grazing in the fields of the area according to an estimator est imato based on the 1950 cattle census and normal herd growth most of the cattle are white faced Here herefords fords be best st suited to conditions in the southwestern corner of colorado there are a few other breeds being raised there but herefords Here fords are predominant excellent grazing pastures during the summer months and an ample mple amount of hay bay and low elevation le pasture during winter months make beef cattle raising one of the major industries of the district during summer months the cattle are taken to the lower loer elevations of the san juan national forest where the nutritive grass adds to the weight of the animals when fall and winter arrive the cattle are moved to winter ranges in still lower elevations many cattle are wintered in mceldo canon just south of cortez affording protection from severe cold and storms according to old timers around cortez dolores dove creek and durango the cattle industry is the pioneer of the territory originated when cattlemen pushed to the very edge of the indian reservation to establish grazing grounds in those days the story goes cattle roamed freely over the forests and the rich valleys and into what is now known as the Rain belt area northwest of the cortez district in the first days of settlement of the district by the cattlemen beef cattle were driven through disappointment country near lone cone or over lizard head pass to placerville erville from where they were shipped to eastern markets placerville erville was once one of the largest c cattle attle shipping points in the U S |