1891 Map of Leadville

About this map

Leadville sits at the heart of this high-altitude landscape, surrounded by the silver-rich slopes of Fryer Hill, Yankee Hill, and Carbonate Hill. The map documents a critical era of mountain industry where the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and Colorado Midland Railway navigate steep passes to serve isolated mining districts. To the west, the Hagerman Tunnel pierces the continental divide, while the southern reaches show the lakeside resort at Interlaken and the settlement of Granite along the Arkansas River. The northern terrain is defined by the Tenmile Creek corridor, connecting the settlements of Kokomo and Robinson before reaching Breckenridge. The network of gulches and peaks, including Mt. Evans and Mt. Sherman, illustrates the intense geographic focus of nineteenth-century prospecting and high-country habitation.