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1973 Map of Escalante Forks

Name: 1973 Topographic Map of Escalante Forks
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1977
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1977

About this map

Escalante Forks sits at the confluence of several vital watercourses, including the North Fork Escalante Creek and Brushy Creek. This 1970s landscape is defined by its network of high-elevation tablelands and deep drainages, where Steamboat Mesa and Long Mesa provide massive topographical bookends to the canyon systems below. The map documents a working wilderness within the Uncompahgre National Forest, characterized by numerous pack trails, jeep paths, and the Stock Driveway that highlight the area's legacy of ranching and land management.

Named features like Bennetts Basin, Barklay Gulch, and Tatum Ridge suggest a history of family-led grazing and exploration. The transition between the high parks, such as Wagon Park, and the lower creek beds reveals a complex terrain of draws and ridges, including the appropriately named Bad Ridge and Sowbelly Ridge. This map is a record of the remote intersections of Mesa, Delta, and Montrose counties before modern development altered these traditional routes.