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1980 Map of Bonanza

Name: 1980 Topographic Map of Bonanza
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

Bonanza serves as the central hub for this high-altitude mining district, situated at the convergence of three National Forests: Gunnison, San Isabel, and Rio Grande. The landscape is dominated by steep drainage basins and massive peaks like Antora Peak and Sheep Mountain, while the industrial history of the region is written into the gulches. Extensive operations are mapped along Rawley Gulch and Squirrel Creek, including the Rawley Mines, Superior Mill, and Sosthenes Mine.

Transport through the difficult terrain is documented via an intricate network of a Toll Road, jeep trails, and pack trails crossing the Continental Divide. The presence of a Brewery Creek Guard Station and multiple cemeteries near the town site indicates a community built around the boom-and-bust cycle of silver and lead extraction. Farther south, smaller claims like the Chloride Mine and Twins Mine suggest the wide geographic spread of prospecting across the Saguache County ranges.