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1965 Map of Dry Creek

Name: 1965 Topographic Map of Dry Creek
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

The Grand Mesa National Forest dominates the upper reaches of this mid-1960s landscape, where the southern slopes of the mesa transition into a complex system of irrigation and resource extraction. The area’s agricultural viability is managed through an extensive network of water engineering, including the Surface Creek Ditch, Aqueduct, and Overland Canal, which divert mountain runoff toward the Redlands Mesa and Cedar Mesa.

Resource extraction is a prominent theme in the lower elevations, marked by several small-scale operations such as the Ward Mine and Landerth Mine. Near the Seven X Ranch, the landscape is dotted with family-named coal mines like the Farmers Mine and Newman Mine, suggesting a localized mining economy integrated with ranching life. The topographic detail captures the numerous gulches—including Stingley Gulch and Shindledecker Gulch—that define the drainage patterns feeding into Leroux Creek and Dry Creek.