Loading map...

1954 Map of Iola

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Iola
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

The Gunnison River winds through the northern portion of this mid-century survey, a landscape defined by ranching and high-altitude water management before the landscape was altered by dam projects. The settlement of Iola sits along the riverbanks, served by a nearby Landing Strip and a network of irrigation works labeled simply as Ditch. Small ranching outposts and settlements like Hierro, Elkhorn, and Shaw Ranch are connected by a mix of light-duty roads and a designated Jeep Trail, illustrating the remote nature of Western Colorado's cattle country during the 1950s.

Steep topography dominates the southern half of the sheet, rising toward the expansive Big Mesa. The drainage patterns of Willow Creek, Pole Creek, and Sugar Creek carve through the terrain, while landmarks such as Blaine Rock and Big Springs provide essential navigation points for local inhabitants. This map captures the area just as it began transitioning away from its early 20th-century isolation.