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1949 Map of Colfax

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Colfax
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

The Southern Pacific railroad corridor serves as the backbone of this Sierra Nevada foothills region, connecting a series of historic mountain communities. In the mid-twentieth century, the town of Colfax stands as a central hub, flanked by the historic Illinoistown Site and the tuberculosis sanatorium near Weimar. The infrastructure of the era is evident through the network of siphons, flumes, and tunnels that traverse the steep drainages of the Bear River and the North Fork American River.

Resource extraction history is documented through numerous dormant workings, including the Rising Sun Mine and Black Oak Mine, while the local education system is represented by the isolated Spring Garden Sch. The landscape is further defined by prominent landmarks like Gillis Hill and the Forest Hill Divide, marking the transition between the settlement centers and the deep canyons of the American River system.