1955 Map of Old Roach

About this map

Old Roach sits at the high-altitude boundary of the Medicine Bow National Forest and Roosevelt National Forest, a site marked as abandoned by the mid-1950s. This survey, conducted for the development of the Missouri River Basin, reveals a landscape of high-country ranching and water management. The Laramie River flows through the northeast corner, flanked by several irrigation channels including Warren Ditch and Boswell Ditch. The presence of Grace Creek Ranch and the Johnson Reservoir suggests a rugged livestock economy dependent on the complex drainage network of Fish Creek, Pole Creek, and Grace Creek. Significant landmarks like Pollock Knob and Mansfield Hill rise above the branching forks of the mountain creeks, providing a clear record of the area's transition from active settlement to forest-managed wilderness.