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1958 Map of Empire

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Empire
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

The town of Empire sits at the confluence of several high-altitude drainages, serving as a hub for the mining and water infrastructure that defined this region in the late 1950s. The landscape is dominated by the Continental Divide and the dense concentration of peaks like James Peak and Mt Flora. Evidence of the area's extraction history is visible in the cluster of Conqueror Mines and Minnesota Mines north of the town site, alongside the Bellevue Hudson Tunnel near Clear Creek.

Recreational and social landmarks appear throughout the Arapaho National Forest, including the Easter Seal Handicamp and the Rainbow Rancho Fish Hatchery. Higher elevations reveal an intricate network of glacial lakes such as Loch Lomond and James Peak Lake, accessible via the Rollins Pass Trail and other historic paths. This survey captures a moment of transition where the old mining camps like Alice and rugged landmarks like St Marys Glacier were increasingly utilized for tourism and conservation.