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1926 Map of Fraser

Name: 1926 Topographic Map of Fraser
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1926
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1926

About this map

The Moffat Tunnel serves as a critical engineering focal point on this 1920s survey, marking a transformative era for transportation through the high Rockies. At the eastern edge of the Arapaho National Forest, the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad winds through the valley, connecting the settlements of Tabernash, Fraser, and West Portal. The landscape is a complex network of high peaks and vital transit corridors, with Berthoud Pass and Vasquez Pass providing passage over the Continental Divide.

Local industry and infrastructure are well-documented, from the Lumber Flume near Crooked Creek to the Bobtail Mine and Urad Mine situated in the southern reaches. Civic life in these high-altitude communities is anchored by the Pole Creek School and remote outposts like the Byers Ranger Sta and Idlewild Ranger Station. The drainage patterns of the Fraser River and Williams River illustrate the hydrology that dictated early settlement and the placement of the Second Ditch.