1958 Map of Rawlins

About this map

Rawlins and Sinclair anchor this high-desert landscape, where the Union Pacific Railroad cuts across the Continental Divide through the Great Divide Basin. This survey captures Carbon County as it balanced a rail-based economy with established ranching and the early energy sector, evidenced by an abandoned coal mine and strip mine near Hanna. The southern portion of the sheet is dominated by the Medicine Bow Mountains and Sierra Madre, featuring the expansive Medicine Bow National Forest. Notable landmarks such as Fort Fred Steele and the Overland Stage Monument trace the transition from 19th-century frontier outposts to a modernizing corridor. Water management for the arid region is visible through the Seminoe Reservoir and the winding North Platte River, which serves as a vital lifeline for the valley settlements of Saratoga and Encampment.