1953 Map of Hightower SW

About this map

The Laramie River winds through this Platte County landscape, where the high plains meet the eastern fringes of the Medicine Bow National Forest. This 1953 survey, with updates from the early 1980s, documents a rural ranching and resource-extraction economy defined by water management and isolated landmarks. Small reservoirs and irrigation works like the Cramer Ditch and Mertz Res sustain the land, while the presence of the Marble Quarry indicates the local geologic industry. The infrastructure of earlier settlement is evident in the inclusion of the Wedemeyer School (Aban'd) and Slate Creek Sch (Aban'd), showing how educational centers were once distributed across the drainages of Luman Creek and Slate Creek. Early transportation routes such as Scranton Road and the Collins Cutoff provide a record of how travel was navigated through the complex terrain of Palmer Canyon and across various creek crossings.