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1955 Map of Silverton

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Silverton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

Silverton serves as the hub of this mid-century survey, a mountain landscape dominated by the hard-rock mining industry. Located at the confluence of the Animas River and Mineral Creek, the town is surrounded by dozens of named claims and processing facilities, including the Mayflower Mill and the Brooklyn Mine. High-altitude operations like the Silver Crown Mine and Henrietta Mine cling to the slopes of Anvil Mountain and Sultan Mountain, connected by a network of trails and the storied Million Dollar Highway.

The transportation patterns reflect the region's industrial reliance on the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad, which follows the river canyon into the heart of the San Juan Mountains. Beyond the town center, smaller settlements like Chattanooga and Browns mark the terrain alongside landmarks such as Hillside Cem and a high-elevation Airstrip. The geography is defined by deep drainages like Minnesota Gulch and Deadwood Gulch, emphasizing the verticality of a district built on silver and gold extraction.