Paradox Valley

Paradox Valley in far western Colorado is a broad, dry valley whose name comes from the Dolores River crossing it at right angles instead of following its floor. The valley formed as a salt dome rose and later collapsed, while the river kept its older course and cut straight across. The Ute people lived here before American settlement; after treaty reservation status, squatters grazed cattle, the Utes were forced out, and settlement followed. Mining for copper, radium, uranium, and vanadium shaped later history. In recent decades, a salinity-control project has reduced salt entering the Dolores River, though it has also caused many small earthquakes.

Naturita, Colorado · United States