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1955 Map of Molina

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Molina
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The settlement of Molina sits at the confluence of several high-desert watercourses in the mid-1950s, serving as a central point for the surrounding canyon and mesa ranching country. The landscape is characterized by its dramatic verticality, rising from the narrow floor of Plateau Creek toward the timbered slopes of Grand Mesa National Forest. Numerous defunct sites of earlier frontier life are visible here, such as the Halfway House, the Bull Creek Sch, and the Tanner Homestead.

This era of the map captures the transition from isolated homesteading to modern irrigation and land management, with features like Fish Ponds and the McCall Ranch operating alongside numerous abandoned dwellings including the Miller Homestead and Monroe Homestead. The intricate network of drainage features like Cottonwood Creek, Jerry Gulch, and Spring Creek illustrates the complex topography that governed early settlement patterns in this part of Mesa County.