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1949 Map of Fort Lupton

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Fort Lupton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

The South Platte River carves a winding path through this 1949 landscape, anchoring a complex network of agricultural irrigation in Weld and Adams counties. The settlement of Fort Lupton serves as a central hub, flanked by the Union Pacific railroad and a dense grid of canals including the Fulton Canal, Lupton Bottom Ditch, and Brighton Ditch. These waterways illustrate the intensive engineering required to sustain the region's high-plains farming economy during the post-war era.

Local history details are abundant, featuring rural education sites like Porter Sch, Wattenberg Sch, and Independence School. To the south, the community of Wattenberg sits near a bend in the river, while landmarks like Smith Mound and Hillside Cemetery provide fixed points for genealogical research. A solitary Mine Dump northwest of town hints at earlier extractive industries that once dotted the periphery of these agricultural lands.