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A landmark map from Ferdinand V. Hayden’s 1877 Atlas of Colorado, the first comprehensive scientific mapping of the Colorado Territory. This sheet was compiled from field surveys conducted in 1873, 1874, and 1875.
Covering the region from North Park in the north to South Park and the Arkansas River headwaters in the south, the map depicts Denver, Golden, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, and Boulder, as well as key railroad lines and early mining towns including Georgetown, Central City, and Leadville. Major physiographic features such as the Front Range, Gore Range, Mosquito Range, and South Platte River are shown with a profusion of contour lines.
The Atlas of Colorado was a crowning achievement of the Hayden Survey—one of the four great surveys of the American West conducted in the post–Civil War era. Its maps were deeply influential in the eventual creation of the U.S. Geological Survey in 1879. This sheet in particular reflects the importance of central Colorado for mining, railroads, and future settlement during the rapid transformation of the American West.
Compiled by topographers G. T. Breckenridge, S. B. Ladd, and Henry Gannett—the latter later known as the “father of American mapmaking”—this map exemplifies the fusion of scientific rigor and territorial ambition that defined the Hayden Survey’s cartographic legacy.
States
A second state was published for the 1881 edition, which adds proposed lines for the Colorado Western; Denver, Rollinsville & Western; and Denver & Rio Grande Railroads, and a few towns including Kokomo, Eagle City, and Leadville.
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, known to the Sioux as "man-who-picks-up-stones-running," stands among the pantheon of eminent geologists of the 19th century.
Hayden's academic career commenced at Oberlin College, and he furthered his education at Albany Medical College, where he received his M.D. in 1853. Despite his medical training, Hayden was primarily engaged in geology, a field to which he would dedicate his life's work.
Hayden commenced his geological career with a survey in the Nebraska Territory in 1856. In 1859 and 1860, he conducted further exploratory work in the Rocky Mountains, particularly in Colorado, which was then part of the Nebraska and Kansas territories. His early work in the field earned him the respect of Native American tribes, with the Sioux reportedly dubbing him "man-who-picks-up-stones-running" due to his avid and energetic collection of geological samples during his expeditions.
By the 1860s, Hayden had risen to prominence as a geologist and was appointed the United States Geologist for the Geological Survey of the Territories. This role would define his career, leading numerous surveys in the Western United States. Notably, from 1871 to 1872, Hayden led a survey into the region that would become Yellowstone National Park, and his reports significantly contributed to the establishment of Yellowstone as the first National Park in 1872.
Hayden's most significant contribution to geological literature was the Geological Atlas of Colorado, published in 1877. This work was the result of comprehensive surveys conducted across Colorado, meticulously documenting the state's geography and geology. The atlas offered detailed maps on a scale previously unseen, encompassing not only Colorado but adjacent areas, including parts of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Hayden's influence extended to academia, as he was affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania for a period, where he held the position of professor of geology. His academic and field work combined to form a substantial body of knowledge that would be used by future scholars and explorers.
Ferdinand V. Hayden passed away on December 22, 1887, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His enduring legacy is reflected in the numerous natural features named after him, including Hayden Valley in Yellowstone and Mount Hayden in Colorado. His contributions to geology during the 19th century remain a cornerstone of American geological and geographical sciences.
![Map of Colorado Territory United States. 1867 [with] Colorado in the United States of America. Schedule of Ores Contributed By Sundry Persons To The Paris Universal Exposition of 1867 . . .](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/89712.jpg)
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