1903 Map of the San Juan Triangle

1903 Map of the San Juan Triangle is a reproduction of a map made in 1903. It shows the mining country that sits between Silverton, Ouray and Telluride in southwestern Colorado. The catalogue says it records the towns, camps and roads of the district as they stood at the height of the silver and gold years.

It is listed under the publisher's own name, Western Reflections Publishing Company, as the credited author. We have not found who drew the original, so we don't name a mapmaker. The Mining History Association's page on Ouray puts Ouray, Silverton and Telluride in the Silver San Juans mining region, and says those towns arose during the first major mining boom in the 1870s and 1880s.

That page also mentions the Camp Bird gold mine near Ouray, the Old Hundred Mine and the Mayflower Mill at Silverton, and the narrow gauge railroad that runs between Durango and Silverton today. A reader holding the map can look for places like these. We can't say which of them appear on this sheet, because we have not seen its contents and the record does not list them.

This is for anyone who studies or visits the San Juan Mountains and wants a period picture of the district. The description recommends reading it beside the regional histories in the library. Mining history readers, genealogists tracing a family to Silverton, Ouray or Telluride, and hikers curious about old roads are the natural audience. The record does not give the map's size or scale, so check with us before you plan to frame it.