1960 Map of Grand Junction

About this map

The Colorado National Monument rises south of the Colorado River, overlooking the river-valley settlements of Fruita, Loma, and Grand Junction. This 1960 survey documents a landscape defined by the intersection of agricultural development and industrial infrastructure during the mid-century uranium and oil shale era. To the north, the Roan Plateau and Book Cliffs dominate the terrain, where a dismantled railroad and early extraction efforts, such as Oil (abandoned) sites, mark the rugged transition between the high desert and the White River National Forest.