1965 Map of Ralston Buttes

About this map

Ralston Buttes and the surrounding high country of Jefferson County define this mid-1960s landscape, where mining and ranching intersect with a network of steep canyons and gulches. The terrain is marked by significant resource extraction, including a Quarry near Deer Creek and numerous prospects scattered along the ridges. Water management and transportation are central to the area's development, evidenced by the Ralston Res and the tracks of the Denver and Rio Grande Western cutting through the northeast near Rocky Flats. Small centers of activity like Ralston Creek Ranch and Guy Hill serve as local landmarks amidst the steep slopes of Belcher Hill and Mount Tom. The map provides a look at the early infrastructure of Golden Gate Canyon and the surrounding creek systems including Van Bibber Creek and Tucker Gulch, long before modern suburban expansion reached these foothills.