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2011 Map of Leadville South

Name: 2011 Topographic Map of Leadville South
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2011
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2011

About this map

Leadville sits at the northern edge of this high-altitude landscape, where the concentrated mining infrastructure of the late 19th and early 20th centuries meets the headwaters of the Arkansas River. The map reveals an incredible density of historic mining claims east of the city, particularly surrounding Carbonate Hill and Iron Hill. Here, dozens of individual operations like the Only Chance Mine, Bessie Wilgus Shaft, and Moffat Mine illustrate the intense subsurface exploration that defined the region’s silver and lead booms.

Industrial activity follows the natural geography of the gulches, with the California Gulch and Iowa Gulch serving as conduits for both water management and transport. To the west, the settlement of Malta and the Lake County Airport mark the transition to the broader valley floor, while southern reaches include the Mount Massive Lakes and the remote Prospect Mountain Mine. Water management is prominent through complex systems like the Derry Number 1 Ditch and the De Lappe Henderson Ditch, which redirect flows across the high-country terrain.