1940 Map of Garfield

About this map

St Elmo and the high mining camps of the Sawatch Range are documented here just before the mid-century, following surveys by Max J. Gleissner and M.C. McClellan. This landscape is defined by the extraction of silver and gold, with heavy concentration around the Brittle Silver Mine and Gold Cup Republic Mine. The infrastructure of the era is remarkably preserved on this sheet, showing the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad winding through the southern peaks near Monarch and Garfield. Higher in the mountains, the Alpine Tunnel Road and Cumberland Pass Road trace the difficult routes that once linked these isolated settlements. Water management for industrial and local use is evident at Boss Lake Reservoir and along the numerous forks of Chalk Creek, which served the smelters and mills at Iron City.