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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

Molina sits at the heart of Plateau Valley, serving as the primary hub in a landscape defined by the convergence of Cottonwood Creek and Plateau Creek. This mid-1950s survey reveals a high desert ranching economy transitioning away from early pioneer sites, evidenced by numerous isolated dwellings marked as abandoned. A clear pattern of upland settlement is visible across Georgia Mesa and Mormon Mesa, where early social structures like the Mormon Mesa Sch and Georgia Mesa Sch supported remote families.

To the south, the terrain rises sharply toward the Grand Mesa National Forest, where the topography becomes increasingly complex around the Basin and Nick Peak. For genealogists, the map is a remarkable record of family history, precisely locating the Tanner, Monroe, and Taylor homesteads. These sites, along with the Mesa Cem, provide a spatial record of the individuals who attempted to cultivate these arid ridges and gulches like Bull Creek and Jerry Gulch.