2013 Map of Howardsville

About this map

Howardsville and the nearby settlement of Middleton occupy the high-altitude valley of the Animas River, a landscape defined by the legacies of the San Juan silver boom. The presence of the Pride of the West Mill underscores the industrial history of this region, where deep gulches like Cataract Gulch and Minnie Gulch provided access to high-country mineral deposits. To the east, the Continental Divide forms a natural boundary between the Gunnison National Forest and the Rio Grande National Forest, with the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail tracing the ridge line. Water sources are abundant even at these elevations, from the Highland Mary Lakes to smaller bodies like Silver Lake and Crystal Lake. Numerous peaks including King Solomon Mountain, Galena Mountain, and Macomber Peak punctuate the horizon, illustrating the transition from river-bottom settlements to the alpine headwaters of the Rio Grande.