[Fwd: Old West Comes Alive Through New USGS Map]

[Betty Cunningham <bettyc@flyinggoat.com>]

this was posted to the sci.geo.geology newsgroup as part of an on-going
USGS news series.  Of particular interest is the historic trails and
vertebrate fossil locations included on the map.  I have not yet seen
the quadrant map in person.
-Betty

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Old West Comes Alive Through New USGS Map
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 20:34:31 GMT
Newsgroups: sci.geo.geology

News Release
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
August 12, 1999
Contact: Pete Modreski, pmodresk@usgs.gov
http://www.usgs.gov/public/press/public_affairs/press_releases/pr936m.html


Old West Comes Alive Through New USGS Map...Historic Trails in Mountains
and Plains Uncovered

Have you ever wondered what the equivalent of Interstate 25 was in the
1860's Front Range? A new, historic trail map created by the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with the Western History and
Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library, could supply the
answer.

"Historic Trail Map of the Denver 1 by 2 Degree Quadrangle, Central
Colorado," by Glenn R. Scott, retired USGS geologist, features a
smorgasbord of historical information, including the locations of
Indian,
early immigrant and cattle trails, as well as stage routes, stage stops,
toll roads, toll gates, existing and abandoned railroads, ghost towns,
military camps, mountain passes, ranches, quarries, mines, archeological
sites, and vertebrate fossil sites. The area of the quadrangle includes
the
Denver metro area and extends to include Brighton on the north, the
Great
Plains on the east, the Air Force Academy on the south, and Fairplay on
the
west.

A 53-page text pamphlet complements the two-sheet map, and describes all
of
the proposed and established toll roads and the established railroads in
the Denver quadrangle. The pamphlet also contains a list of nearly all
the
camps, forts, posts, and military bases in Colorado, not just those in
the
Denver quadrangle.

In modern automobiles traveling over smooth paved roads it takes a
little
more than an hour to drive from Denver to Colorado Springs on Interstate
25. Imagine that same trip in the 1860's. Small towns were generally
spaced
no more than 10 miles apart, the maximum distance a team and wagon could
travel to town and back in a day on the dusty and rutted wagon trails. A
trip by wagon from Denver to Colorado Springs during this time period
might
take three or four days to complete.

"This map is the first in the trail-map series to display photographs
and
sketches that relate to the historical events and places depicted on the
map," said Scott, who spent 4-years working on the product. Special
attention is given to historic trails and wagon roads, Indian tribes,
cattle trails, railroads, and the gold rush. Each topic is briefly
discussed, and numerous photographs dating back as far as the 1860's are
shown on the map sheets.

The publication is available through the USGS Earth Science Information
Center (ESIC) as map I-2639 by contacting 303/203-4700 or
1-888-ASK-USGS.
The USGS ESIC is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, and is located at the Denver Federal Center, Building
810.
The map can also be accessed through the Internet at:
<http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/maps/i-maps.html>. A limited number of
copies
are available at the main Denver Public Library, Western History and
Genealogy Department, 10 West 14th Avenue Parkway, Denver CO, 80204.


As the nation's largest water, earth and biological science and civilian
mapping agency, the USGS works in cooperation with more than 2000
organizations across the country to provide reliable, impartial,
scientific
information to resource managers, planners, and other customers. This
information is gathered in every state  by USGS scientists to minimize
the
loss of life and property from natural disasters, to contribute to the
conservation and the sound economic and physical development of the
nation's natural resources, and to enhance the quality of life by
monitoring water, biological, energy, and mineral resources.

                ***USGS***

This press release and in-depth information about USGS programs may be
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