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1960 Map of Slick Rock

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Slick Rock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

The Dolores River carves a deep, winding path through this corner of San Miguel and Montrose counties, defining a landscape of high mesas and intensive mineral extraction. The 1960 revision reveals an active uranium and vanadium mining era, evidenced by a dense concentration of named claims and camps across Wild Steer Mesa and Monogram Mesa. Features like the American Eagle Mine, Aztec Mine, and the numerous Wild Steer Mines underscore the mid-century mining boom in the Colorado Plateau.

Remote outposts and small settlements such as Slick Rock and Bachelor Camp serve as the primary human hubs in this arid terrain. The map records localized infrastructure essential to the industry, from the Monogram Mesa Reservoir to the isolated Indian Henrys Cabin. Geologists and historians can trace the complex network of access roads and trails that connected these mines to larger thoroughfares across Andys Mesa and through McIntyre Canyon.