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1952 Map of Yankee Gulch

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Yankee Gulch
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

Reigle Ranch and Duckett Ranch stand as the primary centers of human activity in this drainage-carved landscape of the Piceance Basin. Surveyed shortly after World War II, the map reveals a rugged ranching economy defined by intermittent water sources and a network of deep gulches, including Yankee Gulch and Ryan Gulch. The presence of the Shale Test Well near the southern boundary points to early industrial interest in the region's energy resources, predating modern large-scale extraction.

Transportation through the difficult terrain is marked by the aptly named Wagonroad following a prominent ridge between the drainages of Black Sulphur Creek and Dry Swizer Creek. Several hydrological features, from the isolated Windmill at Stake Springs Draw to the branching forks of Fawn Creek, illustrate how the seasonal flow of water dictated the placement of roads and homesteads in this part of Rio Blanco County.