1948 Map of Shawnee

About this map

The North Fork South Platte River carves a central valley through this high-altitude landscape within the Pike National Forest. In the mid-1940s, the settlement pattern followed the river and the route of Highway 285, which links the small communities of Weller, Singleton, Shawnee, and Glenisle. This era shows the local infrastructure of rural life, including the Case School and the Willow Creek Ranch. The surrounding terrain is defined by a dense network of gulches and peaks named for early settlers and topographical features, such as Slaughterhouse Gulch, Derringer Peak, and Shawnee Peak. The map captures a moment when these mountain outposts served as critical stops along the canyon road, before the expansion of modern highway systems. To the north, the headwaters of Deer Creek and Crooked Top Mountain dominate the high ridges, illustrating the transition from ranching valleys to steep timbered slopes.