The South Platte River Basin was selected as a region for a case study in application of the regional reconnaissance method since it illustrates many of the questions facing the practitioner in understanding such a study. This report first outlines population trends, then describes the environment in which those people live. This is essentially an inventory of resources available for use by the inhabitants of the area and the circumstances that condition their use. An economic activities inventory follows, which is an analysis of employment and production trends. In the final section on income a measurement is ventured of how the people of this region have prospered relative to people in other regions.