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1951 Map of Madrid

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Madrid
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

The Purgatoire River carves through the landscape of Las Animas County, shaping a region defined by early 20th-century coal extraction and rural settlement. During the early 1950s, the industrial footprint of the Colorado and Wyoming Railway remains central to the economy, connecting mining sites like the Boncarbo Mine and several inactive operations near Primero. This period shows a transition in the local infrastructure, with numerous civic landmarks marked as inactive or abandoned, including the Middle Burro Canyon School and the Primero School.

Evidence of established community life persists at the Burro Canyon Cemetery and San Juan Cemetery, while the topography is dominated by a complex network of drainages such as Reilly Canyon and Burro Canyon. The presence of the Trinidad Reservoir and the Primero Reservoir illustrates the critical role of water management in this arid valley, supporting both the rail corridor and the scattered settlements of Boncarbo and Madrid.