1950 Map of Tampa

About this map

Tampa and the surrounding high plains of Weld County are defined by a sparse but deliberate network of water sources and transit lines in this 1950 landscape. The Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad cuts a sharp diagonal through the terrain, serving as the primary corridor for movement and communication in an area dominated by cattle ranching and dryland agriculture. The presence of numerous Windmill sites across the quadrangle indicates the critical importance of groundwater for sustaining the small settlements and isolated outposts like Lutz Ranch. Seasonal drainage patterns are traced by the winding courses of Ennis Draw and Lost Creek, which provide the only relief to the rhythmic topography of the eastern Colorado plains. This survey, conducted as part of the Department of the Interior's Missouri River Basin development program, offers a clear record of the rural infrastructure before late-century shifts in land use and ranching technology.