Parachute, Colorado
Encyclopedia
The Town of Parachute is a Statutory Town in Garfield County
, Colorado
, United States
. The population was 1,006 at the 2000 census
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (4.07%) is water.
combined with the arc of the ridge line above the streams which resembles the canopy of a parachute. The town was previously named Grand Valley.
The town was originally named Parachute, after the one creek that flowed into town from the northwest. Parachute Creek was named such when the original surveyors mapped the area. As noted above, the creek has three main branches that converge at a point and a topographical map of the canyon has the appearance of a parachute—but this is several miles northwest of the town. In 1908, the name of the town was changed to Grand Valley to lure travellers on their way to the Grand Valley
, which is the Colorado River valley to the southwest known for its fruit production. After the local history "Lest We Forget" was published in the late 1970s (the name was changed in the 1980s), the town voted to return the name Parachute to the town.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plowshare
Parachute, Colorado was named after Parachute Creek. However the name of the creek came from the Ute Indians in the area. The mouth of the creek was between two mountains that were very similar. The Ute word of twins or same was Pahchouc. The settlers of the area mispronounced the word and the town was thus named Parachute. The story of the name of the town was written in the Grand Valley Newspaper, June 30, 1910. It was also passed down to those who lived in the town.
Garfield County, Colorado
Garfield County is the eighth most extensive and the twelfth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 43,791 at U.S. Census 2000. The county is named in honor of United States President James A. Garfield...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,006 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Geography
Parachute is located at 39°27′6"N 108°3′6"W (39.451732, -108.051530).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (4.07%) is water.
Name
The name comes from the appearance on a map of several streams converging on the town as do the shroud lines of a parachuteParachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
combined with the arc of the ridge line above the streams which resembles the canopy of a parachute. The town was previously named Grand Valley.
The town was originally named Parachute, after the one creek that flowed into town from the northwest. Parachute Creek was named such when the original surveyors mapped the area. As noted above, the creek has three main branches that converge at a point and a topographical map of the canyon has the appearance of a parachute—but this is several miles northwest of the town. In 1908, the name of the town was changed to Grand Valley to lure travellers on their way to the Grand Valley
Grand Valley (Colorado)
The Grand Valley is an extended populated valley, approximately 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, located along the Colorado River in Mesa County in western Colorado and Grand County, Utah in the United States. The valley contains the city of Grand Junction, as well as other smaller communities...
, which is the Colorado River valley to the southwest known for its fruit production. After the local history "Lest We Forget" was published in the late 1970s (the name was changed in the 1980s), the town voted to return the name Parachute to the town.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plowshare
Parachute, Colorado was named after Parachute Creek. However the name of the creek came from the Ute Indians in the area. The mouth of the creek was between two mountains that were very similar. The Ute word of twins or same was Pahchouc. The settlers of the area mispronounced the word and the town was thus named Parachute. The story of the name of the town was written in the Grand Valley Newspaper, June 30, 1910. It was also passed down to those who lived in the town.
See also
- Battlement Mesa, ColoradoBattlement Mesa, ColoradoBattlement Mesa is a census-designated place located in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 4,471 at the 2010 census...
- Colorado cities and towns
- Colorado municipalitiesColorado municipalitiesThe U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...
- Colorado countiesColorado countiesThe U.S state of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Counties are important units of government in Colorado since the state has no secondary civil subdivisions, such as townships...
- Garfield County, ColoradoGarfield County, ColoradoGarfield County is the eighth most extensive and the twelfth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 43,791 at U.S. Census 2000. The county is named in honor of United States President James A. Garfield...