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1904 Map of Boulder

Name: 1904 Topographic Map of Boulder
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1941
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1941

About this map

The city of Boulder and its neighboring mining districts define this map of the Colorado Front Range at the turn of the century. The terrain is marked by a network of steep canyons and high peaks like Bighorn Mt. and Sugarloaf Mt., which dictated the path of early industrial transport. The Colorado and Northwestern RR winds through the southern portion of the sheet, providing vital access to mining camps and settlements including Salina, Crisman, and Wallstreet along the banks of Fourmile Creek.

Local-history researchers can trace the development of small mountain communities such as Gold Hill and Jamestown, which were central to the area's extraction economy. Further north, the confluence of the North St Vrain Creek and South St Vrain Creek at Lyons shows a distinct landscape of river-fed valley settlement. The map identifies specific industrial operations, such as the Butzel Mill and the Golden Rule Mining Co Ditch, revealing the infrastructure required for ore processing in this era.