The author is a member of the faculty in Chabot College, Hayward, California. A MONG THE WESTERN STATES, few offer the historian greater opportunity to study the impact of the New Deal than does Colorado. Largely agricultural, it encouraged trials in crop reduction, farm loans, mortgage moratoriums, resettlement programs, and Dust Bowl abatement. Beyond the farmlands, in the forested mountains which cover one-third of the state, there abounded numerous possibilities to develop and perfect

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... ts in conservation and reclamation. In addition, urban centers such as Denver and Pueblo cried for creative experimentation that would alleviate the depressed condition of their inhabitants. Like other Rocky Mountain states, Colorado experienced persistent mild depression during the 1920's.' By this time, wealth from the state's precious metals had declined dramatically as miners depleted the supply of prime quality ore. Down as well were coal consumption and railroad construction. What is more, profits from expanded farm production could not compensate for these economic handicaps. Thus, Colorado failed in its struggle to regain the prosperity it had experienced in the preceding decade.2