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1980 Map of Delta

Name: 1980 Topographic Map of Delta
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1980
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1980

About this map

The Gunnison River and Uncompahgre River converge in this western Colorado landscape, providing the lifeblood for the agricultural and transport corridor surrounding Delta. This 1980 edition reveals the extensive network of irrigation and water management essential to the high desert, including the Granby Reservoirs and Dugger Reservoir. The rail-driven economy is evident through the path of the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad, which follows the river valleys through settlements like Whitewater and Bridgeport.

Away from the fertile river bottoms, the map transitions into the high mesas and deep canyons of the Grand Mesa National Forest and the Uncompahgre National Forest. Mineral exploration is prominent in the southwestern reaches, marked by numerous claims such as the Maverick Mines, Outlaw Mines, and Copper Rivet Mine. These labels, along with local landmarks like Pea Green Corner and Hoovers Corner, document a transition from early 20th-century mining and homesteading to the modernized land use of the late 1970s.