Loading map...

2000 Map of Pearl

Name: 2000 Topographic Map of Pearl
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2004
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2004

About this map

Mining and ranching history converge at the northern edge of Routt National Forest, where the settlement of Pearl serves as a hub for the surrounding high-country operations. The landscape is defined by an extensive network of irrigation and industrial water management, including the Republic Flume, the Abandoned Aqueduct, and numerous ditches like the Hans Clauson Ditch and Pleasant Valley Ditch. This infrastructure supported both the agricultural needs of the Rhea Ranch and Wilford Ranch and the industrial requirements of the local mineral trade.

Legacy extraction sites such as the Zirkel Mine, Wolverine Mine, and the Swede Group Mines are prominent, accompanied by a historic Smelter Stack near the forest boundary. To the southwest, the terrain transitions into the Mount Zirkel Wilderness, dominated by the massive Big Creek Lakes and the waters of the North Fork North Platte River. This map captures a remote frontier economy where water rights and mineral claims shaped the distribution of ranching outposts and mining camps.