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1912 Map of Soda Canyon

Name: 1912 Topographic Map of Soda Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

The Mancos River carves a deep path through this 1912 survey of Southwestern Colorado, delineating the rugged boundary between Mesa Verde National Park and the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation. The map provides a remarkable early inventory of ancestral Puebloan sites concentrated on Chapin Mesa, including world-renowned structures like Cliff Palace, Sun Temple, and Sprucetree House Headquarters.

Beyond the famous ruins, the landscape is defined by an intricate network of drainages such as Soda Canyon and Johnson Canyon. Subtle human imprints appear in the high country, from the Waters Ranch near the northern boundary to smaller archaeological sites like Sixteen Window House and Double Walled Tower. The survey reflects a moment when these ancient sites were first being formalized into a national park system, while the surrounding mesas remained under the stewardship of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.