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1948 Map of Platte Canyon

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Platte Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

The confluence of the North Fork South Platte River and the main stem of the South Platte River anchors this postwar survey, where the rugged topography of the Pike National Forest meets the engineering interests of the Denver Board of Water Commissioners. Small mountain settlements like Foxton, Critchell, and Buffalo Park are connected by winding mountain roads that follow the drainage of Kennedy Gulch and South Fork Deer Creek. These hamlets represent the early twentieth-century character of the Front Range before modern development intensified.

Evidence of rural community life is preserved through labels for the Lamb Sch and South Platte Sch, while the narrow canyon floor at Strontia Springs reveals the tight geography of the Platte Canyon. Notable landmarks such as the massive Dome Rock and the high summits of Raleigh Peak and Turkshead Peak define the skyline. The map also delineates the high-altitude boundary between Jefferson Co and Douglas Co, tracing the river's course through the steep terrain.