1940 Map of Garfield

About this map

St Elmo and Iron City anchor this high-altitude survey of the Sawatch Range, where the mining economy of the late 1930s is etched into the steep gulches of the Continental Divide. The landscape is a network of legacy extraction, from the Old Alpine Tunnel to the Pride of the West Mine and Garfield Mine. Significant transportation infrastructure follows the drainages, notably the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad winding through the South Arkansas River valley near Monarch and Garfield. Along the western slopes, the Tomichi Cem and the settlement of White Pine mark the human footprint near Eldorado. From the heights of Grizzly Mtn and Shavano to the deep cuts of Chalk Creek, the map details a region defined by its narrow-gauge rail history and the persistence of remote mountain outposts.