1963 Map of Courthouse Mountain

About this map

Courthouse Mountain and Dunsinane Mountain dominate this corner of the Colorado high country where the jagged spine of Cimarron Ridge serves as a natural boundary between Gunnison, Ouray, and Hinsdale counties. The landscape in the early 1960s, shown with 1980s updates, reflects a wilderness managed for both resource protection and water storage, most notably at the Silver Jack Reservoir along the Cimarron River. Human footprints are sparse but significant, ranging from the high-altitude Kennedy Mine on North Fork to the Jackson Guard Station and the curiously named Cabbage Patch settlement. The map provides clear evidence of mid-century infrastructure in the backcountry, including the Cimarron Feeder Ditch and primitive routes over Owl Creek Pass, showing how early ranching and mining access evolved into the recreation-focused Uncompahgre National Forest.