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1897 Map of Spanish Peaks

Name: 1897 Topographic Map of Spanish Peaks
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1897
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1897

About this map

The East Spanish Peak and West Spanish Peak dominate the northwestern horizon of this southern Colorado landscape, where the high mountains descend into a complex network of canyons and coal-mining settlements. Surveyed in the mid-1890s, the map reveals a region defined by its narrow-gauge and standard-gauge rail lines, including the Denver and Rio Grande R.R. Trinidad Line and the Union Pacific Denver and Gulf R.R., which served the burgeoning industrial corridor between Trinidad and Aguilar.

Cultural landmarks like Trujillo Plaza, Martinez Plaza, and Madrid P.O. indicate the early Hispanic agricultural and trading centers along the Purgatory River and Apishapa River. Meanwhile, the emergence of mining camps such as Berwind, Ludlow, and Starkville reflects the shift toward the extraction economy that would soon define the local history of Las Animas County. The intricate canyon topography, from Chicosa Canyon to Reilly Canyon, provided the corridors for these essential transportation links during this era of rapid expansion.