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1963 Map of La Veta Pass

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of La Veta Pass
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1991
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1991

About this map

The Sangre de Cristo Range forms a dramatic backdrop for this 1963 survey of the high mountain passage between Costilla and Huerfano counties. Central to the map is the critical transportation corridor of North La Veta Pass and the original La Veta Pass, tracing the historical movement across the continental divide. The landscape is marked by the presence of the Toll Wagon Road, which underscores the era's reliance on established mountain routes for trade and travel.

Elevations rise sharply toward Mount Mestas and Dump Mountain, while local industry and infrastructure are represented by a Mine, a Gravel Pit, and a Radio Tower. Remote outposts like Muleshoe and Mallet Vega Camp dot the terrain, linked by 4WD trails and numerous drainages including Sangre de Cristo Creek and Middle Creek. This map documents a high-altitude wilderness in a period of transition, where legacy wagon paths met modern surveying and recreational features like a Ski Lift.