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De
Beque is a quiet little town on the western slope of Colorado. It
sits along the Colorado River and I-70 corridor northeast of Grand
Junction. The beautiful canyon just north of Grand Junction is
named after this Town; it is called De Beque Canyon.
The
Town was named after its founder, Dr. W. A. E. De Beque, in 1884.
The area was originally settled by ranchers and many cattle were
driven to this area to be shipped by train elsewhere. Some mining
operations popped up, but soon ‘panned’ out. Over the years this
area has remained a ranching community, the Town itself currently
has just over 500 in population.
This
area has also had its ups and downs in the oil and gas industry over
the years. This industry is currently causing some growing pains in
the small community. Town leaders are doing their best to balance
the wants and needs of a ranching community to the ever increasing
oil and gas development.
Some
little known facts about De Beque are the recreation opportunities
that literally surround it. There are hundreds of acres of public
lands available for recreation in the canyons and arroyos
surrounding De Beque. The trails are great for horses, hiking,
biking, motorcycle and ATV. The beauty of this land is rarely seen
by others, simply because no one knows what this area offers. The
unique and rugged land formations are a delight to climb, and also
offer photographers opportunities to capture that one of kind shot.
Another
little known fact about De Beque is that it is a gateway to one of
only three wild horse sanctuaries in the United States of America.
There are 36,000 acres of protected land for the herds of 80-120
wild horses to roam. There is a trail/road that accesses these
areas from De Beque – if you are lucky you will get to spot a living
monument to Americas Western History.
Local
groups have formed to help maintain and protect these lands – Scroll
down to learn more about these groups. |
