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1965 Map of Bowie

Name: 1965 Topographic Map of Bowie
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

The North Fork Gunnison River corridor serves as the industrial and agricultural heart of this mid-century Colorado landscape. The Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad tracks parallel the river, connecting the mining settlement of Bowie to Juanita Junction. This region's economy in the 1960s is clearly defined by coal extraction and water management, evidenced by the Bowie Mine and Farmers Mine alongside a network of irrigation works like the Farmers Ditch and Stewart DITCH.

Beyond the river valley, the terrain ascends sharply into the Gunnison National Forest, where the landscape transitions to livestock and resource management. Remote landmarks such as Morrell Cow Camp, Cottonwood Stamp, and Spruce Stamp dot the high country near Terror Creek Reservoir. The presence of several smaller operations, including the Blue Ribbon Mine and Converse Mine, suggests a history of dispersed mineral prospecting throughout the steep gulches of the North Fork valley.