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1957 Map of Hot Sulphur Springs

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Hot Sulphur Springs
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Hot Sulphur Springs serves as the focal point of this mid-century Rocky Mountain survey, situated where the Colorado River winds through the high-elevation terrain of Grand County. The map captures a period of critical water management and transit development, most notably illustrating the blue-hatched area intended for flooding by the Williams Fork Reservoir. This engineering shift is juxtaposed against the established ranching and livestock history of the region, evidenced by the Wheatley Ranch and East Fork Cow Camp in the northern reaches of the Arapaho National Forest.

Transportation follows the river corridor, with the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad threading through the dramatic Byers Canyon toward the settlement of Parshall. The landscape is a network of named drainages like Drowsy Water Creek and Kinney Creek, which support localized agricultural infrastructure like the Musgrave Ditch. From the heights of Elk Mountain to the flats of Big Meadows, the sheet documents the transition from a traditional ranching economy to a modern landscape of reservoirs and communications infrastructure, including a hilltop Radio Relay Station.