Loading map...

1950 Map of Johnstown

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Johnstown
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

Johnstown anchors this northern Colorado landscape at a time when the sugar beet industry and complex irrigation systems defined the regional economy. The Great Western railroad cuts across the terrain, connecting small shipping points and agricultural hubs like Pulliam, Buda, and Hardman. This network of rails supported landmarks like the Walker Elevator, while the surrounding fields relied on an intricate web of water management, including the Handy Ditch, Supply Ditch, and Hillsboro Ditch.

Local life is recorded through rural cornerstones such as the Twin Mounds School and Erkenbeck Sch, along with the Elwell Cem. The map traces the confluence of the Big Thompson River and Little Thompson River, as well as the southern flow of St Vrain Creek. Numerous water bodies, from the Johnstown Res to the Hartford Reservoir, illustrate the critical importance of water storage in this high-plains environment near the border of Larimer Co and Weld Co.