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1925 Map of Pilot Knob

Name: 1925 Topographic Map of Pilot Knob
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1925
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1925

About this map

Routt National Forest dominates this high-country landscape in the early 1920s, showing a transition from timbered wilderness to a burgeoning extraction economy. Small settlements and specialized outposts like Elkhead and Gantts Cabin are scattered along the drainages of Elkhead Creek and the South Fork Elkhead Creek, while the presence of the Long Gulch School, Deep Creek School, and Wolf Creek School points to a distributed community of ranching and mining families.

The industrial footprint of the era is evident in the coal and mineral workings, including the Ducey Mine near Pilot Knob and the Grey Mine further south. Along the southern edge, the Yampa River corridor serves as the primary artery for transportation, navigated by the Denver and Salt Lake River railroad. This network of mines, isolated schools, and mountain peaks like Wolf Mountain and Quaker Mountain illustrates the rigorous geography of northwest Colorado during this period of development.