1951 Map of Cripple Creek South

About this map

Cripple Creek and the high-altitude mining district of Teller County appear here in a period of industrial transition following the Second World War. The landscape is a dense network of extraction, characterized by dozens of named mines such as the Portland Mine and Golden Cycle Mine, connected by a complex topography of gulches and hills. The map illustrates the concentration of labor and infrastructure in settlements like Altman, Elkton, and Victor, while the sheer scale of the gold-mining operations is evidenced by the prominent Roosevelt Tunnel and Carlton Tunnel. These massive drainage projects reflect the engineering challenges of working deep beneath the surface near Squaw Mountain. To the south, the terrain descends into the canyons of Wilson Creek and Fourmile Creek, where the environment shifts toward more rural outposts like Marigold, providing a stark contrast to the industrial density of the northern gold fields.