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1940 Map of Castle Rock

Name: 1940 Topographic Map of Castle Rock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Castle Rock serves as the central hub of this pre-war Colorado landscape, where the confluence of East Plum Creek and West Plum Creek meets the major rail corridors of the Santa Fe and Rio Grande Western. The map reveals a robust network of rural education and community life, marked by numerous isolated schoolhouses such as Gann Sch, Oakland Sch, and Glen Grove Sch. These small sites, often located at crossroads or along creek beds, suggest the dispersed nature of the ranching and agricultural economy before suburban expansion reached this part of Douglas County.

Industrial and public activity is concentrated near the town centers, including a Clay Mine south of the Fairgrounds and the Pikes Peak Grange Hall near Franktown. The terrain is defined by prominent landmarks like Dawson Butte and Johnson Castle, while the eastern portion of the sheet shows the winding drainage of Cherry Creek and its many tributary gulches, such as Siphon Gulch and Mitchell Gulch.