Colorado Piedmont facts for kids

The Colorado Piedmont is a special area in north central Colorado, United States. It's a wide, hilly valley found right at the base of the Front Range mountains. This region is a bit lower than the mountains but also slightly lower than the flat lands (called the Great Plains) to its east. Many people live and farm here, especially around cities like Denver and Colorado Springs. The name Colorado Piedmont also describes a specific type of land within the Great Plains.

What is the Colorado Piedmont?

The Colorado Piedmont is a unique part of the land. It sits lower than the mountains nearby and even a little lower than the flat plains to its east. Scientists believe this area was formed about 28 million years ago. At that time, the land across North America began to lift up. This lifting caused rivers to flow faster down the Rocky Mountains. The fast-moving water then eroded, or wore away, the top layers of rock.

How the Land Changed

This erosion removed a layer of sandstone that once covered the area. This sandstone still forms the top layer of the higher plains to the east. When the sandstone was removed, it showed an older layer of rock called Pierre Shale. This shale formed a long time ago, during the Cretaceous period. Back then, a shallow sea covered what is now Colorado.

The South Platte River also changed its path during this time. It used to flow east across the plains. But after the land lifted, it started flowing north along the mountains. It then joined another river called the Cache la Poudre River. In some parts of the Piedmont, you can find loose gravel from the Pleistocene Ice Age. This gravel was left behind by streams carrying sediment from the mountains.

Seeing the Change

You can really notice the change in elevation if you drive south on Interstate 25 from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Around Wellington, Colorado, the road drops noticeably. This is where the higher sandstone plains meet the lower shale of the Piedmont. As the land changes, so does the farming. The higher plains are often used for pasture, while the Piedmont has many cultivated fields.

History and Farming

In the 1800s, the Piedmont region was home to Native American tribes. These included the Southern Arapaho and Cheyenne people. When white settlers first arrived in the mid-1800s, water became very important. At first, mining was the main activity in the Colorado Territory. The Piedmont was not widely settled then.

The Importance of Water

However, starting in the 1860s, people began using irrigation in the Piedmont. Irrigation is a way to bring water to dry land for farming. This led to many people settling here through the Homestead Acts. They started growing crops like wheat and sugar beets. They also raised cattle and sheep.

Much of the water for irrigation in the Piedmont comes from shallow wells. These wells tap into the layers of Pleistocene gravel. Large water projects also bring water to the region. One example is the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. It helps supply the water needed for farming and communities in the Piedmont.