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1955 Map of Ophir

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

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

Ophir and its high-altitude mining district are the focal point of this mid-1950s survey of the San Juan Mountains. The landscape is defined by the complex transport networks required for mineral extraction, including the Rio Grande Southern RR and its distinctive Ophir Loop Sch, which navigated the extreme grades of the Howard Fork. Evidence of the region's hard-rock mining legacy is scattered across the peaks, from the Suffolk Mine near Silver Mountain to the Silver Bell Mine tucked beneath the Ophir Needles.

The survey covers the intersection of the Uncompahgre National Forest and San Juan National Forest, where high alpine basins like Ice Lake Basin and Bridal Veil Basin feed headwaters for Mineral Creek and Cascade Creek. The era's transition toward recreation and modern access is visible along the Chapman Gulch Jeep Trail, even as legacy mining sites like the Badger Mine and Gertrude Mine remain marked on the steep slopes of the San Miguel and San Juan county lines.