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1953 Map of Hadley

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Hadley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

The Arkansas River corridor in the early 1950s reveals a landscape defined by industrial water management and frontier history. This portion of the valley, straddling the Otero and Bent County line, is marked by the presence of the Old Fort Bent (Ruins) and a corresponding Historical Marker, anchoring the map to Colorado's early trade era. The settlement at Hadley and the nearby Fort Bent School serve as local hubs, while the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad parallels the river, facilitating the transport of agricultural and mineral resources.

Irrigation infrastructure dominates the northern terrain, with the Lewis Lateral, Fort Lyon Canal, and Reservoir feeding the surrounding plains. To the north, the East Holbrook Church stands near Castiel, surrounded by a network of ditches and siphons that emphasize the importance of water rights in this arid valley. Numerous active and inactive gravel pits along the riverbanks indicate the local extraction industry supporting the region's development during this period.