1982 Map of Silverton

About this map

Silverton and Telluride anchor this survey of the high San Juan Mountains, illustrating a landscape defined by its deep-rooted mining history and high-altitude transport corridors. In the early 1980s, the map records the enduring legacy of the San Juan silver and gold boom through the presence of legendary operations like the Camp Bird Mine, Tomboy Mine, and the Shenandoah-Dives Mine. The narrow-gauge tracks of the D & R G W RR follow the Animas River south of Silverton, passing through isolated stops like Elk Park and Needleton. This map demonstrates the transition from industrial extractivism to recreation and preservation, with vast areas now designated as the Weminuche Wilderness and Mount Sneffels Wilderness. These protected lands surround older, formerly bustling camps such as Eureka, Gladstone, and Howardsville, providing a spatial record of the region's mining districts and their connectivity across the Continental Divide.