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1953 Map of Cornelia

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Cornelia
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

The Arkansas River corridor in southeastern Colorado dominates this mid-century landscape, showing a complex irrigation infrastructure essential to the high plains. A dense network of man-made waterways, including the Fort Lyon Canal, Winding Ditch, and Consolidated Ditch, crisscrosses the terrain, supporting local agriculture and the Las Animas State Fish Hatchery. The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad follows the northern bank of the river, anchoring small settlements like Marlman, Cornelia, and Riverdale.

Educational life in this rural district is marked by several localized institutions, including the Horse Creek School, Cornelia School, and Melonsfield School. The topography transitions from the irrigated river bottomlands to the Picketwire Valley in the south, where the Highland Canal skirts the higher ground. This survey captures a moment when rail transport and surface water management defined the economic and social geography of the region.