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1966 Map of Mile High Lakes

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Mile High Lakes
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

Agricultural water management and the expansion of the High Plains irrigation network define this landscape in the mid-1960s. The prominent Barr Lake anchors the western edge of the quadrangle, serving as a critical reservoir alongside a cluster of private and municipal water bodies known as the Mile High Lakes. This hydraulic infrastructure is supported by an intricate system of gravity-fed waterways, including the Denver-Hudson Canal, Beebe Canal, and the Seep Canal, which transformed the arid prairie into productive farmland.

Rural community life is anchored by landmarks like the Green Valley Grange Hall, while the industrial connectivity of the era is represented by the Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad line and the Speer Extension cutting through the northern sections. In the south, the natural drainage of the Third Creek Valley and Grass Valley Creek provides a contrast to the engineered reservoirs such as Bowles Reservoir No 2 and Calhoun Reservoir, illustrating the intense land-use planning required for Colorado's eastern slope development.