1908 Map of Ignacio

About this map

The Animas River valley serves as the central artery for this early 20th-century landscape, where the Denver and Rio Grande RR winds south through Durango and Animas City Mtn. This era is defined by the intersection of settler expansion and Indigenous land tenure, marked clearly by the South Boundary Ceded Ute Land and the presence of the Ute Indian Agency near Ignacio. Agriculture and resource extraction are evident in the network of irrigation projects like the Farmington and Denver Ditch and the Florida Ditch, as well as Browns Sawmill near Sawmill Canyon. To the north, the San Juan National Forest encompasses the high peaks and recreational draws like Pinkerton Hot Springs. Small rural communities and schoolhouses, including the Little Red Sch and Grommet Oxford PO, anchor the outlying agricultural districts near the Florida River.