Western Colorado And Part of Utah [Sheet VIII] (1877) presents one of the most exacting field portraits of the southern Rockies from the celebrated Hayden Survey. Meticulously engraved, it translates geology into legible relief: contour lines ripple across the San Juan Mountains, the Elk Range near Snowmass and Aspen, the Book Cliffs that march into eastern Utah, and the deeply incised canyons draining to the Green River. Streams, creeks, and major rivers are plotted with scientific care, revealing drainage divides and hidden basins, while plateaus and mesas step down toward the desert. Hayden’s cartographic language merges geology and geography, rendering the country’s structure as clearly as its surface shape. Settlement is purposefully sparse, amplifying the sense of distance and altitude that defined the region in the mid-1870s. The result is a quietly dramatic portrait of a frontier landscape on the cusp of discovery.

Historically, the sheet is a keystone of the great Hayden Survey of 1873–1875, published in 1877 as the federal government sought to understand the West’s resources, routes, and risks. Of particular note is the delineation of the San Juan Purchase—the 1873 Brunot Agreement by which the Ute ceded mineral-rich high country to the United States. Hayden traces this boundary with unmistakable clarity, setting it against passes, watersheds, and mining districts that would soon roar to life. In doing so, the map records a decisive turn in western land policy: the translation of Indigenous homelands into surveyed public domain. Its nomenclature and measurements became planning tools for engineers, miners, and legislators, knitting local discovery into national ambition.

Topography is the protagonist here. The San Juan Mountains rise in tight concentric forms, their radial valleys feeding the Animas, Uncompahgre, and San Juan; farther north the Gunnison carves its deep canyon on the way to meet the Grand (Colorado) River. To the west, the Book Cliffs and Tavaputs Plateau enforce a tall sandstone barricade above the Green River corridor, while canyons splay into labyrinthine tributaries. Hayden’s contours isolate the critical saddle points—Cochetopa, Red Mountain, and the lofty divides toward Leadville and Buena Vista—where winter and grade dictate passage. Notations of mineral belts and timbered slopes hint at coal along the Book Cliffs and precious metals in the San Juans and upper Arkansas, while broader valley bottoms suggest limited oases for agriculture and stock.

Against this orchestration of landforms, human footprints appear as quiet, strategic notes. Names such as Ouray, Silverton, Lake City, Montrose, Gunnison, Leadville, Buena Vista, Salida, Pagosa Springs, Aspen, Snowmass, Telluride, Creede, Durango, Ruby City, Dallasville, and Portland punctuate the sheet—many still embryonic camps or projected townsites when surveyed. Trails and wagon roads thread cautiously through gulches and over divides, previewing the alignments that the Denver & Rio Grande and allied lines would soon pursue along the Arkansas, Gunnison, and Animas corridors. The sparseness is eloquent: the map fixes the moment when resource promise, military reconnaissance, and engineering pragmatism were just beginning to coalesce into permanent settlement.

As much an object of art as of science, the engraving embodies Hayden’s conviction that exact knowledge could civilize wild ground. The disciplined contouring, lucid hydrology, and restrained labeling invite close reading, while the crisp demarcation of the San Juan Purchase tells a larger national story of expansion, extraction, and change. For the modern eye, this sheet preserves the West before the rail whistle—when Leadville’s bonanza, the San Juan smelters, and Aspen’s silver lodes were possibilities more than certainties. It is a rare synthesis: a field document born of hard miles and a visionary plan, capturing a mountain province at the threshold of its most dramatic transformation.

Places on this map

• Snowmass
• Aspen
• Book Cliffs
• Green River
• San Juan Mountains
• Ruby City
• Dallasville
• Portland
• Ouray
• Durango
• Lake City
• Montrose
• Gunnison
• Silverton
• Telluride
• Creede
• Salida
• Leadville
• Buena Vista
• Pagosa Springs

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Detailed topography of the Rocky Mountains.
• Major river systems, including streams and creeks.
• Terrain elevation indicated by contour lines.
• The delineation of the San Juan Purchase.
• Sparse settlement notation, with few established towns marked.
• Annotation of natural features such as canyons and plateaus.
• Representation of natural resources, potentially highlighting areas of interest for mining or agriculture.

Historical and design context

• Created in 1877 by Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden as part of the 1873–1875 Hayden Survey of the American West.
• Delineates the San Juan Purchase (Brunot Agreement), marking significant territorial change and land acquisition.
• Emphasizes remoteness and sparse settlements while prioritizing topography and major physical features.
• Anticipates transportation routes and railroad-driven infrastructure development.
• Focuses on western Colorado and a portion of eastern Utah.
• Design noted for meticulous engraving, clear terrain depiction, and contour lines indicating elevation.
• Blends scientific rigor with artistic craftsmanship.
• Documents westward expansion–era land use, geography, and potential for settlement and development.
• Hayden’s geological field work influenced later planning and the expansion of railroads.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

Please note: the labels on this map are hard to read if you order a map that is 16in (40cm) or smaller. The map is still very attractive, but if you would like to read the map easily, please buy a larger size.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

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.

Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.

Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.

We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.

• We can deliver directly to the recipient
• Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
• Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
• Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
• 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide

If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.

Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.

We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.

Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.

Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.

Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.

If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.

Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.

Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 5-year guarantee.

Read our full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.