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1955 Map of Kings Canyon

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Kings Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

The high-country mining and ranching economy of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming is preserved here, centered on the high pass of Kings Canyon. This 1955 survey, compiled from 1968 data, illustrates a landscape defined by natural resource extraction and early cattle operations. Evidence of the region's mineral wealth is seen at the Village Belle Mine and Kings Canyon Mine, while the southern reaches of the map show the Battleship Oil Field near the North Sand Hills. The presence of the Dowell Homestead, The Horse Ranch, and Blevins Ranch highlights the scattered settlement patterns typical of this mountainous border territory.

Water management for these remote operations is documented through an extensive network of ditches, including the Allard Ditch and Hance Ditch. The map spans several administrative boundaries within the Medicine Bow Mountains, including parts of the Routt National Forest and Roosevelt National Forest. Abandoned settlements like the Old Roach (Site) and traditional paths such as the Medicine Bow Trail offer vital clues for those tracing local history or family genealogy in this high-altitude wilderness.