1962 Map of Shield Mountain

About this map

Routt National Forest dominates this high-altitude landscape, where the headwaters of the Snake River converge. The topography is defined by the three branches of the river—the North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork—which carve deep drainages around peaks like Shield Mountain and Three Forks Mountain. Human presence in the early 1960s was sparse, concentrated primarily at the Three Forks Ranch near the northern boundary, where a small Cem is noted. A network of jeep trails and pack trails provides the only access across the prominent Deadhorse Ridge and through the steep valleys of Beeler Gulch and Tennessee Creek. The settlement at Johnson sits along the Johnson Creek drainage, illustrating the isolated ranching and resource patterns of this part of Colorado before modern development further altered the wilderness access.