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1964 Map of Barkelew Draw

Name: 1964 Topographic Map of Barkelew Draw
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

Hamilton Mesa and the surrounding drainage systems of San Miguel County define this mid-century landscape. The map details an environment where early agricultural infrastructure, such as the Lilylands Canal and the South Lateral, snakes through complex terrain to manage water across the arid plateau. Educational and industrial markers of the 1960s appear through the Basin Sch and isolated Oil Well locations, indicating a sparse but active rural presence.

Water management is central to the area's layout, anchored by the Two Fork Reservoir within the Uncompahgre National Forest. Numerous ephemeral watercourses like Barkelew Draw, Hamilton Creek, and Grassy Draw carve into the mesa. These features, along with a simple network of unimproved roads and a Jeep Trail, provide a clear picture of how ranchers and foresters navigated this high-elevation Colorado territory during the early 1960s.