Garfield County historic route maps
Historic routes play an important role in maintaining public access to public land (such as BLM land or National Forest land). In order to manage existing and potential road and trail easements accessing public land in Garfield County, the County relies in part on historic route maps. In order for the county to acquire easements and/or retain existing easements, knowledge is needed for travel routes that existed before the land was “reserved” in Garfield County. “Reservations” of land occurred when it was taken out of the public domain and set aside as a homestead, national forest, national park, and/or deeded to the state.
For example, a large portion of the White River National Forest was reserved in 1891, when the president and Congress created the White River Plateau Timber Reserve. In most cases, the reservation date for private land is the date a homestead certificate was issued. If the route existed prior to the land being reserved, the county could make a claim to it.
Sources for information regarding historical routes:
GLO Survey Maps (1885) Dept of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office records
USGS Topo and Historical Topographic Map collection
USGS 7.5 and 15 minute quad maps
1877 Hayden US Geological Survey maps
1898 Sudworth Maps used to create the Battlement Mesa and White River Plateau Timber Reserves
Dominguez and Escalante Expedition journals
Garfield County historic rights of way signs
Historic maps
Mapping of historic routes locally began with the Hayden Survey of 1877, and then the General Land Office Survey of 1882-1909. The Garfield County Road Map of 1888, the White River Plateau Timber Reserve Map of 1898 and the Battlement Mesa Forest Reserve map of 1898 are also keymaps that Garfield County uses in determining historic routes.
Hayden Survey of 1877
Click on map to view larger
Garfield County Road Map of 1888
Click on map to view larger