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1953 Map of Denver

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Denver
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

The South Platte River corridor anchors this 1953 survey, revised in 1988 to reflect the burgeoning suburbs of Denver and its satellite cities. The metropolitan expanse is captured at a critical period of growth, showing the maturation of Aurora, Lakewood, and Arvada alongside established institutions like the Colorado School of Mines in Golden and Regis College. Military and industrial footprints are prominent, from the Lowry Air Force Base and Buckley Air National Guard Base to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.

To the west, the transition from the high plains to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains is sharply defined. The map preserves significant cultural and local history landmarks, including the Mother Cabrini Shrine, Buffalo Bill Grave, and Red Rocks Park. For those tracing early industrial history, the Leyden Coal Mine and Henderson Mine represent the region's extraction legacy, while the complex rail network of the Union Pacific RR and Denver & Rio Grande Western RR illustrates the logistical importance of this mountain-locked hub.