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1950 Map of Milton Reservoir

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Milton Reservoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

Milton Reservoir dominates the northeastern corner of this 1950s landscape in Weld County, serving as the central hub for an extensive network of irrigation infrastructure. The terrain is defined by the complex engineering of the Speer Canal and its branches, including the East Speer Canal and West Speer Canal, alongside the Beebe Canal and Neres Canal. These waterways illustrate the intensive agricultural development of the Missouri River Basin during the mid-twentieth century.

Evidence of local industry and rural life appears in the southwest, where the Four-Way School stands near the Coal Mine (Inactive) and a Gravel Pit. The map captures a moment when the transition from subterranean resource extraction to large-scale water management was well underway, with numerous windmills and wells scattered across the prairie. Revisions from 1971, shown in purple, document subtle shifts in the drainage and culture of this high-plains environment.