1951 Map of Silver City

About this map

Silver City anchors this 1951 topographic study, appearing as a developed mountain hub surrounded by the complex terrain of the Gila National Forest. The map documents a community deeply tied to its geography, where the street grid of the town site terminates abruptly against the rising slopes of Boston Hill and the former mining activity at Chloride Flat. Educational and social institutions are prominent, including the New Mexico Western College campus and St Marys Academy, alongside the Cottage Sanatorium north of the central district. The landscape is defined by the Continental Divide, which snakes through the high country past Bear Mountain and Gomez Peak. Traces of earlier industrial efforts are visible in the numerous abandoned quarries scattered near the town's western edge, providing a clear record of the area's mid-century transition from resource extraction toward its role as a regional center.