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1955 Map of Delaney Butte

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Delaney Butte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

The high-country ranching culture of Jackson County is meticulously documented here, centered on the prominent Delaney Butte and its adjacent lakes. In the mid-1950s, the landscape was a complex network of hydraulic engineering, defined by an intricate system of hand-labeled irrigation works like the Independent Ditch, Hanson Ditch, and Lorena Ditch that sustained the valley's livestock operations. The map records several long-standing family operations, including the Briggs Ranch and Mallen Ranch, providing a window into the settlement patterns of this high mountain basin before modern consolidation.

Notable educational and transport landmarks include the Higho School in the north and the Manville Road winding through the southwestern sector. The convergence of the North Fork North Platte River and Roaring Fork underscores the importance of water rights in this arid terrain, where the names of every gulch and draw, such as Wolfer Gulch and Baker Draw, were essential markers for local ranchers and land managers.