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Dirt huts made cozy homes for many Northwest Colorado homesteaders. That the floors turned to mud when it rained was expected.

What wasn't expected were earthworms wriggling through the roofs when the weather turned wet.

That was one of the harsh realities settlers faced and one of the stories that cultural tourists might appreciate.

That vignette was presented along with dozens of others Friday during a daylong workshop about cultural heritage tourism attended by members of 10 communities.

The meeting was part of a three-county effort to define the assets each community has that would draw cultural heritage tourists. The movement is being coordinated by the Yampa Valley Economic Development Committee and Yampa Valley Partners. The next step will be to conduct bus tours of each community in search of a common thread that will link them and be a conduit to move tourists from town to town.

On Friday, each community shared its "stories" and links already were evident. Nearly all communities share energy-related origins. In Oak Creek, for example, the economy was nearly destroyed by coal mines.

Hundreds of striking miners lived in tents in the middle of town through the winter. An influx of immigrant "scabs" were brought in to take their place, but their spending nearly didn't cover the letters of credit shopkeepers issued to striking miners.

Gold, onyx, limestone, uranium and coal have been mined from within 10,000 square miles of the three-county region.

Agriculture was another clear connection throughout the region. Meeker caters to a strong ranching culture even after years of conflict between sheep herders and cattle ranchers. Residents still can tell stories about cattlemen setting poisoned salt along sheep trails.

One aim for all participants will be to keep the character -- "the art of the neighbor," as one community phrased it -- intact.

"You can market that," said Amy Webb, the director of cultural heritage tourism for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "Heritage tourism is not going to change your community overnight. It is an incremental process."

All communities boasted world-class recreational experiences including hiking, skiing, wildlife watching and hunting as well as outstanding scenery.

Many were proud that they've been able to "embrace the future while holding firmly to the treasures of the past," as Steve Miller, director of the Moffat County Tourism Association, phrased it.

YVEDC has applied for a $420,000 Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance grant to further the project. A request from 10 communities joining together is unprecedented, according to YVEDC staff member Winnie DelliQuadri. Because of the extensive cooperation shown, DelliQuadri thinks there's a very good chance they'll get the grant.

"It's really, really unique and groundbreaking for this many communities to come together and ask for funds," she said.

Much of the grant, $20,000 per community, will be used to further individual projects such as creating interpretive signs, erecting historical markers or making certain sites are ready for visitors.

The remainder of the funds will be used for project coordination and supplies.

The group will take bus tours in May and meet again for a conference June 10 and 11.