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1979 Map of Craig

Name: 1979 Topographic Map of Craig
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

Craig serves as the primary hub of this Northwest Colorado landscape, situated along the Yampa River and the industrial corridor of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. The 1979 survey captures a region defined by its complex drainage systems and extractive industry, where the high desert terrain of Great Divide and Sugarloaf Basin gives way to the densely timbered Routt National Forest. Resource extraction is evident throughout the quadrangle, from the Morgan Creek Mine No 1 and Seymour Mine to several prominent strip mines and quarries.

To the east, the Elkhead Mountains rise sharply, featuring numerous named peaks like Mount Welba, Quaker Mountain, and Sand Mountain. This map reveals the transition from the settlement at Lay and the winding course of the Little Snake River to the high-elevation ridges of Pine Ridge and Bunker Hill. Local history is embedded in the gulches and creeks that provided vital water in an arid environment, including Fortification Creek and the long reach of Big Gulch.