1957 Map of Meridian Hill

About this map

Arapaho National Forest and Pike National Forest dominate this high-altitude landscape, where several mountain-country ranches and youth camps were established by the late 1950s. The map captures a transition between the State Game and Fish Reserve in the northwest and the developing community of Harris Park in the south, connected by the Harris Park Road. Religious and recreational history is anchored by Our Lady of the Rockies Camp and Singing River Ranch, reflecting the area's mid-century role as a retreat from the growing Front Range. Water management and conservation are central to the terrain, evidenced by the Elk Management Headquarters near Bear Creek. From the heights of Meridian Hill and Shadow Mountain down to the dramatic drop of Elk Falls, the map details a network of gulches and creeks like Parmakian Gulch and North Fork Elk Creek that defined early drainage patterns in these Colorado highlands.