1942 Ruth Pictorial Map of Northern Colorado and Estes Park

This is a 1942 C. H. Ruth pictorial map of northern Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park. The map depicts the region from north of Fort Collins to Conifer and from Hot Sulphur Springs and Granby to Denver. Thick black lines mark U.S. and state highways, and bold black lettering labels cities and towns. Rocky Mountain National Park appears in the upper left and is delineated by a dotted and dashed line. Lodges, motels, service stations, stores, cabins, and myriad other businesses are illustrated in profile. 190 locations are numerically identified and indexed along the left side and on the verso. Inset maps detail business districts in Loveland, Grand Lake, Boulder, and Idaho Springs.

Verso Content

A detailed index occupies the top half of the verso and two smaller maps occupy the bottom half. Map 2 details the vicinity of Estes Park, the largest community close to Rocky Mountain National Park. Cabins, cottages, lodges, and other businesses adorn this map in the same style as the large map on the front. The third map, along the bottom of the sheet, details Estes Park itself and highlights hotels, cottages, and cabins, along with the local bookshop, barber shop, and high school auditorium. For a modern audience, the most interesting location here is likely The Stanley Hotel. The Stanley Hotel is where Steven King was inspired to write his classic novel The Shining and served as the location for the 1997 TV miniseries version of The Shining.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by C. H. Ruth and published in 1942. An example is cataloged in OCLC and is part of the institutional collection at the University of Colorado Boulder. We are aware of one other example in private hands.