Each week, we talk with our colleagues at The Colorado Sun about the stories they're following. This time, Editor David Krause joined us to discuss the legacy of Japanese-American farmers in Colorado agricultural history and the closure of a visitor trail at the iconic Crystal Mill.
More than 10,000 Japanese-Americans were incarcerated at Camp Amache in southeastern Colorado during World War II. After the war, many of them started farming food and flowers in rural areas to earn a living. Some of these farms have lasted for generations and grown over time. But the younger generations in these farming families are drifting away from the trade.
“They're seeing the high cost of farming, and the economics there is becoming more difficult,” Krause told KUNC. “Vegetable farms are really having trouble finding laborers.”
Krause said a lack of affordable housing is contributing to the labor shortage and farm owners are being lured into “cashing in” land by selling to developers.
In another story, there’s been word recently that the trail to the iconic Crystal Mill in the West Elk Mountains is being closed.
“Everyone’s seen it, probably in your dentist's office or a hotel,” Krause said. “It's that image of the old shack with the ladder flume down to the Crystal River with the waterfall nearby.”
Many people have started to “over-love” the area, Krause said, leading the owners of the land to close off the path.
“Local people in Marble are getting frustrated," Krause said. "People are having parties back there. They're carving their name into the wood, just disrespecting the area, so [the owner is] just cutting off the access.”