History of Paonia and the North Fork Valley

Short History of Paonia

Paonia has the largest population of the three incorporated towns of the North Fork and is located 10 miles up the valley from Hotchkiss. Paonia was founded by Samuel Wade and William Clark, who had come to the valley with Enos T. Hotchkiss. Paonia was named by Wade for the Peony flower.

Recreation of Paonia

There are hundreds of possibilities of public lands that are easily accessible from Paonia, but if you are looking for in-town amenities, the town has newly refurbished tennis courts, a complex of ball fields west of town, a skate park, and an impressive town park that includes a football field and community center. The big event of the summer is the 4th of July Cherry days celebration, which features parades, a carnival, games and an arts and crafts show.

Short History of the North Fork

The early history of the North Fork is based on four things: land, coal, fruit and cattle, roughly in that order of importance. The valley has had its share of booms and busts in its history, but not until this century, after the railroad arrived and the coal industry became fully established.

The modern history of the then isolated North Fork of the Gunnison River Valley began in 1880 when the Ute Indian reservation, which then included most of the Western Slope of Colorado, was closed by federal government following the infamous Meeker Massacre. The Utes were then forced to move to a small reservation in Northern Utah, and an even smaller one on the border of Southwestern Colorado, and the area was opened for settlement.

The first prospective settlers in the North Fork were a small group of men from the Lake City area led by Enos Hotchkiss in 1880. Hotchkiss had made his money by discovering the Golden Fleece mine at Lake City. His party surreptitiously scouted the valley and picked out likely homesteads while the Utes were still in possession.

The next year, when it was legal Hotchkiss returned with two young brothers, George and William Duke, a herd of 200 horses and David Platt, Samuel Wade, Samuel Angevine, and William Clark. They were the first successful settlers in the valley. Enos Hotchkiss and the Dukes were the first successful legal immigrants, and staked out their homesteads in the area of present day Hotchkiss. Wade, Clark, and Angevine went further up the valley and Platt apparently went insane and had to be sent home, or shot, depending on which story you choose to believe.

Meanwhile up in the Crawford Country, Sam Hartman and Ed Kreighton have moved the first herd of cattle into the area establishing the second of the major industries in the Valley. Hartman became a major rancher in the area as well as having an interest in several early banks. Paonia was incorporated in 1902 with the first election taking place in July of the year.

The Town of Crawford was established a year or two after Hotchkiss and Paonia, and was not named after an early pioneer, but rather after Captain George Crawford, who was an ex-Army officer who traveled with the soldiers which had escorted the Utes from the Valley in 1880. Crawford went on to help with the founding of Delta and is also credited with being a primary founder of Grand Junction. At first most of Crawford was on the south side from the Smith Fork Creek but by 1900 the main district had moved north to its present location. Crawford was incorporated in 1910. Just a few years after that, in 1926, a good portion of the commercial district, including the drugstore and the bank, burned down in a disastrous fire.

Today the North Fork Valley is being discovered by people who are not only fulfilling their dream of relocating to a mountain recreational paradise, but also by folks who are leaving the overdeveloped areas such as Aspen, Summit County and Telluride in search of a place of tranquility, and relaxation. History is really only just beginning in the enchanting North Fork Valley.

Few places offer such a wonderful combination of climate, scenery, lifestyle and recreation. Know that you're invited to visit, experience time here or stay the rest of your life.

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