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1955 Map of Howardsville

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Howardsville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1984
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1984

About this map

Mining operations dominate the landscape along the Animas River during this 1955 field check. The settlement of Howardsville serves as a central hub for the surrounding peaks, flanked by the Howardsville Cem and a nearby Gaging Sta. Industrial infrastructure is dense throughout the high basins, notably around Middleton and the various gulches feeding the river. The map records a complex network of active and inactive sites, including the Old Hundred Mine and Pride of the West Mine, alongside an abandoned aerial tramway and the Highland Mary Mill.

Traversing the Continental Divide, the terrain transitions from the deep drainages of Cunningham Creek and Minnie Gulch to the headwaters of the Rio Grande. Genealogists and industrial historians can trace the precise locations of storied extraction sites like the Silver Lake Mine and Shenandoah Mine within the San Juan County high country, while also noting early high-altitude routes like the Pack Trail over Stony Pass.