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1949 Map of Calamity Mesa

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Calamity Mesa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

The United States Atomic Energy Commission collaborated on this 1940s survey, highlighting the industrial importance of this remote section of the Uncompahgre National Forest. The landscape is dominated by the deep incisions of Blue Creek and Calamity Creek, which carve between high plateaus like Calamity Mesa and Outlaw Mesa. The mapping of these canyons and summits was vital during the postwar uranium boom, which is evidenced by the presence of the Hidden Treasure Mine, Small Spot Mine, and the sprawling Blue Creek Mines.

Resource extraction drove the establishment of temporary settlements in this difficult terrain, including Calamity Camp and Outlaw Camp. These sites, alongside a network of unimproved dirt roads and trails, trace the movement of prospectors and miners working the mineral-rich formations. From the heights of Potato Mountain to the depths of Dark Canyon, the map provides a precise record of the physical and economic geography of western Colorado during a peak era of domestic mining exploration.