Published with a 1957 imprint from 1955 mapping, the US Geological Survey’s “Silverton” captures one of Colorado’s most dramatic mountain districts at a moment when its mining identity was giving way to a new era of recreation, preservation, and scenic travel. Centered on Silverton, the historic county seat of San Juan County, the map presents a town hemmed in by steep walls of the San Juan Mountains, where streets, rail and road corridors, streams, mines, and ridgelines are precisely set into their alpine setting. At 1:24,000 scale, it offers an intimate view of the terrain, allowing the viewer to read the landscape almost as one would on foot: valley by valley, spur by spur, contour by contour.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined visual language that made its topographic series indispensable to engineers, miners, foresters, travelers, and government agencies. Closely spaced contour lines convey the extraordinary relief around Silverton, where narrow drainages descend rapidly from high basins and passes into the Animas River corridor. Subtle color distinctions clarify vegetation, water, roads, and landforms, producing a map that is both scientifically rigorous and visually elegant. In this cartographic style, the mountains are not merely named; they are modeled. Grizzly Peak, Handies Peak, Engineer Pass, and Red Mountain Pass emerge through form and elevation, while unnamed ridges and streams remind the viewer how much of the San Juan landscape resists easy simplification.

Silverton itself appears as more than a mountain settlement: it is the heir to the Colorado Silver Rush, a town whose fortunes were shaped by ore, altitude, engineering, and isolation. The map records nearby mine sites and the routes that connected them to the valley, including the historic communities of Eureka and Howardsville along the Animas River. These places evoke an industrial frontier of stamp mills, wagon roads, rail lines, boarding houses, and high-country claims. By the mid-twentieth century, many of the richest mining decades had passed, yet the landscape still bore the imprint of extraction. The map preserves that transitional moment, when working mines, abandoned prospects, and emerging scenic routes coexisted in the same rugged terrain.

Water gives structure to the map’s mountain world. The Animas River forms the great north–south artery through Silverton, joined by Mineral Creek, Elk Creek, and a lacework of unnamed alpine tributaries descending from cirques, basins, and snow-fed slopes. The wider regional drainage toward the San Juan River places Silverton within the immense hydrological system of southwestern Colorado and the Four Corners country. Roads such as County Road 110 and routes toward Red Mountain Pass and Engineer Pass thread through terrain where topography dictates every turn. The map makes clear why travel here has always been both alluring and difficult: the same steep valleys that concealed mineral wealth also constrained settlement, transportation, and commerce.

As a historical document, “Silverton” records the San Juan Mountains before the full flowering of modern heritage tourism, backcountry recreation, and conservation-oriented land management. The presence of Uncompahgre National Forest underscores the region’s evolving public-land identity, while the lingering density of mine symbols speaks to its earlier economic foundations. Today Silverton is celebrated for its preserved Victorian streetscape, mountain rail history, jeep roads, skiing, hiking, and access to some of Colorado’s most spectacular high country. This map captures the geographical basis for all of those stories. It is a finely observed portrait of a place where geology shaped ambition, where rivers carved routes through impossible mountains, and where Colorado’s mining past remains etched into the contours.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Silverton
• Animas River
• San Juan River
• Red Mountain Pass
• Eureka
• Howardsville
• Mineral Creek
• Uncompahgre National Forest
• Elk Creek
• Handies Peak
• Grizzly Peak
• Engineer Pass
• County Road 110
• Mine sites indicated
• Various unnamed streams and ridges

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Silverton, Colorado and the surrounding area
• Created by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Dated 1955 with a 1957 imprint
• Published by the US Geological Survey, known for its geological studies, mapping, and surveying work
• Shows Silverton, Colorado, a town notable for its mining history and mountain scenery
• The area is historically significant as a mining town during the Colorado Silver Rush
• Features detailed topography with contour lines and color shading to depict elevation and landforms
• Uses distinct colors for vegetation and landforms, a hallmark of USGS topographic maps
• Presents rugged mountainous terrain characteristic of the San Juan Mountains
• Closely spaced contour lines indicate significant elevation changes
• Provides insight into the area’s mid-20th-century geography and physical features
• Reflects a region that has since shifted from traditional mining activity toward tourism and conservation efforts

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.