1963 Map of Chair Mountain

About this map

Gunnison National Forest and White River National Forest converge in this high-altitude survey of the Elk Mountains, defined by the towering peaks of The Raggeds and Chair Mountain. The landscape is a network of drainage basins, where Chair Creek and Buck Creek feed into the Crystal River valley. Cattle ranching and water management define the human footprint in the lower elevations, marked by the Jacobs Ranch, Volk Ranch, and Chair Mtn Ranch. Water rights and irrigation are represented by the Tomahawk Ditch Trail leading to Tomahawk Reservoir. While primarily a wilderness of steep ridges like Ragged Peak, the map documents the essential infrastructure of early 1960s ranching life through numerous unnamed Springs and miles of Pack Trail that served as vital connections before modern road development.