1963 Map of Poison Draw

About this map

Uncompahgre Nat For defines the western edge of this rugged Colorado territory, where a network of ephemeral watercourses and deep-cut draws carve through the high mesa. Surveyed in the early 1960s, the landscape is defined by its drainage patterns, with Poison Draw, Cardwell Draw, and Sandy Draw channeling toward the southern reaches. Near the southeastern corner, the Gunnison River flows past an Old RR Grade, signaling the historic transportation corridor that once followed the river's path. Numerous isolated water sources like Addington Springs, Armitage Springs, and Mahan Spring are documented across the terrain, serving as critical landmarks in an otherwise arid environment of sage and rock. The map captures a moment before modern infrastructure altered these corridors, preserving the location of cattle fences and old trails used by local ranchers and early explorers.