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1971 Map of Rattlesnake Butte

Name: 1971 Topographic Map of Rattlesnake Butte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

Industrial extraction and high-elevation ranching define this portion of Routt County in the early 1970s. The massive Energy Mine (Strip) dominates the northern landscape, supported by a tipple and the winding tracks of the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad. This industrial activity contrasts with the rural educational infrastructure shown at Foidel Sch and Trout Creek Sch, which served the local families working the land and mines.

The terrain is characterized by dramatic elevations, from the heights of Pinnacle Peak and Rattlesnake Butte to the drainage basins of Fish Creek and Twentymile Creek. Water management for both mining and livestock is evident through features like the Koll Ditch and a series of numbered reservoirs including Res No 1 and Res No 2. Much of the southern landscape falls within the Routt National Forest, where steep gulches like Mule Gulch and North Fork Bear Gulch cut through the timbered slopes.