1955 Map of Howardsville

About this map

Howardsville and Middleton anchor this high-altitude landscape in the mid-1950s, a period when the intense industrial mining activity of the San Juan Mountains had largely moved into an inactive phase. The map meticulously records the infrastructure of this hard-rock mining legacy, showing the Old Hundred Mine, Hamlet Mine, and the Pride of the West Mine (Adit) tucked into steep drainages like Cunningham Gulch and Minnie Gulch. Genealogists may find particular value in the location of the Pride of the West Cem, situated near the confluence of the Animas River and Cunningham Creek. The terrain is defined by massive peaks such as King Solomon Mountain and Galena Mountain, while the hydrology is marked by the headwaters of the Rio Grande and the high alpine Highland Mary Lakes.