1962 Map of Housetop Mountain

About this map

Housetop Mountain serves as a prominent landmark within this high-elevation landscape, where the administrative boundaries of the White River National Forest and the Grand Mesa National Forest converge. Mapped in the early 1960s, the terrain is defined by massive plateau features like Battlement Mesa and Samson Mesa, which are dissected by an intricate network of drainages including Wallace Creek and Alkali Creek. The map documents a rugged interior accessible largely by a single Jeep Trail, highlighting the isolation of the high country between the Garfield and Mesa county lines. Natural depressions and summits such as Bull Basin, Lugans Basin, and the nearly 10,000-foot heights of Horse Mountain provide specific points of interest for those studying the physical geography and ranching history of the Western Slope. Numerous springs and deep-cut channels like Horsethief Gulch and Bear Gulch illustrate the complex watershed management within these protected forest lands.