Small town America

On the Way Out series

Vol. 6

Part 7

Living in small town America requires some traveling.

It's a different way of life compared to the big city of Denver, two-hundred miles to the east. Less hustle and bustle. The residents of Parachute and Battlement Mesa, Colorado -- Parachute on one side of the Colorado River, the Battlement area residents on the other, enjoy a laid-back lifestyle and plenty of outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing, hiking...and skiing just a few miles south on the slopes of Powderhorn.

The area, with a combined population of 6,000 -- an estimate, which may or may not include yours truly, was once the seasonal campground of the Ute Indians.

Settlers moved in soon after and the area turned into a farming and ranching community in the early part of the 20th century, but, in the 1950s, along came mineral extraction -- mostly oil-shale resources --  and the area and the life of its inhabitants changed drastically.

Along came Exxon Oil and other oil companies followed. Suddenly a Boom Town mentality engulfed the area. People, searching for high-paying jobs and a better way of life, filtered into the area. The word was out of a "new oasis" situated along the Western Slope of Colorado.

By the 1980s, the entire area was a "hot spot."

Suddenly, it was all over. Exxon abandoned operations in 1982. They pulled the plug, along with the other oil companies, and left thousands of people stranded without work. It was called Black Sunday.

Fortunately plenty of good, hard-working, strong-willed people remained. And now, here we are in the 21st Century, heading into 2022 and the residents are just fine. They have found their way and their way is a good way. Jobs are out there. The jobs may be an hour and a half away -- like in Aspen, or forty minutes away in Grand Junction or a thirty-minute drive to Glenwood Springs.

Some will work two jobs. Families will be raised. Children will grow up in an area where the Ute children once roamed -- hunting, fishing, rock climbing, hiking...skiing -- a comfortable way of life.

And the characters I have encountered are so diverse -- all finding their way. Small town life with big and beautiful surroundings. Deer in backyards, wild turkeys roaming the streets...snow on the mountains and a river runs through it.

I met a nice hard-working fella yesterday name Jose. His day, during the peak season, includes driving to Aspen and his fast-paced days as a cook at an upscale restaurant. Back home, Jose has opened a new restaurant in Battlement Mesa. A risky undertaking, but he hopes the word will be out soon and he'll be able to turn his small business into a moneymaker. Jose is married and has three boys -- the oldest 11 years of age. He hails from the Los Angeles area and was born in Mexico where his grandparents grew vegetables.

He learned his trade well. His breakfast burritos are to die for.

Another example of the people along the Western Slope.

Is it possible small town life will be the wave of the future?

Will more people filter from the big cities to country living?

The residents of small town America  hope not.