1980 Map of Bonanza

About this map

High-altitude silver and base-metal mining history is preserved on this map, which centers on the remote settlement of Bonanza. Located in the northern reaches of the San Luis Valley, the town and its neighbor Little Bonanza are surrounded by a dense concentration of 19th-century mining claims. Industrial features like the Rawley Mine and the Superior Mill indicate a landscape heavily shaped by mineral extraction, while the presence of the Brewery Creek Guard Sta and the Cem reflect the community infrastructure required to support these isolated mountain camps. The terrain is marked by the Continental Divide to the west, rising to the prominent Antora Peak. The map documents a complex network of resource extraction roads, such as Toll Road Gulch and Wagon Box Gulch, that once connected these mines to processing facilities and downstream markets along Kerber Creek.