1900 Map of Needle Mountains

About this map

The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad snakes through the canyon of the Animas River at the turn of the century, providing the primary access point for the remote mining camps of the San Juan Mountains. This high-altitude landscape is centered on the Needle Mountains and the Grenadier Range, where steep drainage basins like Chicago Basin and Virginia Gulch served as hubs for early prospecting. Small outposts such as Needleton and Beartown are documented alongside industrial remnants like the Quartz Mill in the southeast.