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1956 Map of Spicer Peak

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Spicer Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Spicer Peak and the high country of the Rabbit Ears Range define this mid-century look at the border of Jackson and Grand counties. The landscape is a network of ranching homesteads and sophisticated water management systems, where the Continental Divide winds through the southern reaches of the map. Private family holdings such as the Van Valkenburg Ranch and Chas Murphy Ranch are situated near extensive irrigation features like the Koping Ditch and Jordan DITCH, which redirected alpine snowmelt to support high-altitude grazing.

Evidence of the region's ranching economy is everywhere, from the Bailey Ranch in the west to the tiny settlement at Spicer. The map details the transition from the forested slopes of the Routt National Forest to the open draws of the Grizzly Creek drainage. Notable landmarks like Ironclad Mountain and Dennis Hump provide clear reference points for those tracing historical land use or searching for these specific family ranch locations.