1955 Map of Lake John

About this map

Lake John and its surrounding high-plains ranching operations dominate this 1955 survey of the Jackson County landscape. The mapping reveals an intricate network of irrigation systems essential to high-altitude agriculture, including the Bighorn Cattle Company Ditch and the Legal Tender Ditch. Local cattle ranching history is anchored by the presence of Brands Ranch and Wattenberg Ranch, while the namesake lake and nearby Alkali Lake represent the primary water resources of the basin. The eastern slopes of Sheep Mountain descend into the valley of the North Fork North Platte River, where the river winds through meadows crisscrossed by various family-named water projects like the Reithmeyer and Wattenberg Ditch. This era of the mid-twentieth century shows the high country before modern expansion, when water rights and seasonal grazing defined the North Park region's character.