1957 Map of Boulder

About this map

The front range of the Rocky Mountains meets the high plains at Boulder and Lyons, where a complex network of mining camps and mountain settlements dot the landscape. This 1957 survey captures the area before modern suburban expansion, highlighting the early layout of the Univ of Colo campus and the industrial traces of the gold rush. Small, high-altitude communities like Gold Hill, Jamestown, and Salina are connected by winding roads through Fourmile Canyon and along James Creek. Local institutions, from the Bunce School to the Sunshine Church Camp, serve the isolated valleys and gulches that characterize the terrain of the Roosevelt National Forest. Geologists and historians can trace the numerous mine dumps and specialized sites like the Smelter near the eastern plains, reflecting the mineral-driven economy that first drew settlers to the canyons of Fourmile Creek and Lefthand Creek.