1950 Map of Horse Range Mesa

About this map

The United States Atomic Energy Commission and the USGS collaborated on this 1950 survey, which highlights the intense mineral exploration in San Miguel County during the early Cold War. The landscape is defined by the winding Dolores River, which carves through a series of dramatic plateaus including Island Mesa and the expansive Horse Range Mesa. The map serves as a primary record of the region's uranium and vanadium mining history, specifically documenting the McIntyre Mines, Veta Mad Mine, and a cluster of numbered claims like Radium No 5 Mine and Radium No 2 Mine. These workings are concentrated along the canyon walls and rimrock above Poverty Flat. In the settlement of Slick Rock, a Water Tower stands near the river, marking a small but vital hub for the prospectors and miners working the surrounding rugged drainages of Cougar Canyon and Summit Canyon.