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1952 Map of Jessup Gulch

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Jessup Gulch
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

Piceance Creek carves a central path through this section of Rio Blanco County, anchoring a landscape of family-operated livestock operations and early energy exploration. The drainage network is dense with named features such as Jessup Gulch, Gardenhire Gulch, and Cottonwood Gulch, which define the ranching boundaries of the era. Settlement is concentrated along the creek bottoms where the P-L Ranch, Redd Ranch, and Walter Oldland Ranch are located.

A system of irrigation ditches and flumes supports the agricultural activities of these homesteads, while the presence of the Stewart School indicates a persistent rural community in the early 1950s. The northern reaches of the map show an emerging industrial layer with a Gas Well located near Collins Gulch, contrasting with the more isolated Redd Cow Camp situated in the southern highlands. High-elevation points like VABM 7355 R Pine provide fixed reference for this transition between the canyon floor and the surrounding high country.