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1957 Map of Bowen Mountain

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Bowen Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The Continental Divide winds through the high peaks of the Never Summer Mountains in this late 1950s survey of the Colorado backcountry. Straddling the borders of Routt National Forest, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Arapaho National Forest, the landscape is defined by its dramatic elevation changes and alpine basins. The presence of the Wolverine Mine near Bowen Mountain and the Wolverine Trail points to a history of high-altitude extraction, while numerous glacial lakes like Ruby Lake and Bowen Lake feed the headwaters of the Illinois River and Willow Creek.

A network of historical pack routes, including the Bowen Trail and Gilsonite Trail, provides evidence of the area's transition from a mining frontier to a protected wilderness. Notable landmarks such as Porphyry Peaks and Mineral Point are documented alongside natural meadows like Pony Park, illustrating the complex topography used by early surveyors to delineate the boundary between Jackson and Grand counties.