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1956 Map of Cimarron

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Cimarron
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1984
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1984

About this map

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison creates a dramatic landscape where the Gunnison River carves through deep geological formations. This 1956 survey, updated with revisions through 1983, documents the dramatic transformation of the river valley following the construction of the Morrow Point Dam, which created the Morrow Point Reservoir within the Curecanti National Recreation Area. These water management projects dominate the northern half of the map, contrasting with the agrarian and transport history visible to the south.

Local history is preserved in the location of the District No 9 Sch and the settlement of Cimarron. The map traces the path of an Old Railroad Grade following the Cimarron River, a remnant of the region's early narrow-gauge rail infrastructure. Irrigation remains a central theme for the area's development, evidenced by the Cimmarron Canal and the Collier Ditch, which redirect water across the high mesas and gulches like Poverty Mesa and Corral Gulch.