1973 Map of Cottonwood Valley North

About this map

The high plains of the Adams Co Arapahoe Co boundary line define this 1970s landscape, where drainage patterns and energy extraction intersect. The topographical centerpiece is the Cottonwood Valley, a broad depression carved by the seasonal flows of Cottonwood Creek and its tributaries. While much of the land appears as open range, the presence of an extensive Pipeline and several scattered Oil Wells in the northern sections signals the region's mid-century petroleum development. Human habitation is sparse on this sheet, anchored primarily by the Arrow K Ranch in the southeast. This survey captures the area just after the early 1970s energy shifts, documenting the precise location of ranching homesteads and infrastructure before later suburban expansion or further industrial changes altered the rural character of these Colorado plains.