Published in 1979 from 1967 mapping, “Stillwater South” captures a richly detailed moment in the evolving landscape of north-central Oklahoma. Produced by the United States Geological Survey, the map presents the southern portion of Stillwater and its surrounding countryside at the precise 1:24,000 scale for which USGS quadrangles are celebrated. The sheet records a city already shaped by education, agriculture, transportation, and expanding residential districts, yet still closely bound to the creeks, fields, and gently rolling terrain of Payne County. Its topographic language—contours, blue waterways, green land-cover areas, and carefully classified roads—offers a disciplined portrait of place, where urban growth and rural order meet in a landscape poised between mid-century town and modern college city.

Stillwater’s identity is inseparable from Oklahoma State University, whose presence helped define the city’s civic and economic life during the period represented here. The map situates the populated area within a wider matrix of roads, neighborhoods, open land, and public spaces, allowing the viewer to read the town not merely as a collection of streets, but as an organism expanding across the prairie. Residential districts, institutional grounds, local parks, and routes into the countryside appear in the clear visual hierarchy characteristic of USGS work. For collectors interested in university towns, this quadrangle is especially evocative: it documents Stillwater during an era of postwar development, when campuses and communities across America were growing rapidly and reshaping their surrounding landscapes.

The cartography displays the restrained elegance of the USGS topographic tradition. Brown contour lines describe subtle rises, shallow valleys, and the undulating relief of the Oklahoma terrain, while blue symbols delineate streams, ponds, and water bodies with crisp precision. Green-tinted areas indicate forested or vegetated land cover, offering contrast against agricultural fields and developed districts. Roads and highways are differentiated by class, making the sheet as useful as it is visually ordered. This is a map designed for close reading: each symbol, line, and tint contributes to a layered understanding of land use, drainage, elevation, and access. Its beauty lies in its systematic clarity, turning scientific observation into a finely structured portrait of the landscape.

Beyond the city, the map evokes the broader geography of Payne County and the water-shaped environment of north-central Oklahoma. The Cimarron River and associated drainage patterns form part of the regional setting, reminding us that Stillwater’s development occurred within a landscape governed by seasonal flow, fertile bottoms, and upland divides. Agricultural land surrounds the built-up areas, reflecting the enduring importance of farming and ranching in the local economy. Trails, pathways, minor roads, and rural route networks reveal how residents moved between town, campus, fields, and parkland. In its quiet accumulation of detail, the map records a practical geography of daily life: where water gathered, where roads converged, where settlement pressed outward, and where open country still held its shape.

As a historical document, “Stillwater South” is particularly compelling because it fixes the city and its environs at a moment before later decades of expansion altered land use patterns, transportation corridors, and residential development. What appears as open ground on the map may now be suburban streets, commercial corridors, or university-related growth; parks and waterways may have been managed, redirected, or bordered by new construction. The 1967 survey therefore offers more than a technical record—it is a window into an earlier Stillwater, one balanced between prairie town, academic center, and agricultural hinterland. Created by the US Geological Survey, an institution renowned for reliable scientific mapping, the sheet combines documentary authority with the quiet romance of a landscape in transition.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Stillwater
• Oklahoma State University
• Cimarron River
• Various local parks
• Residential areas within Stillwater
• Agricultural land
• Roads and highways
• Trails and pathways

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Stillwater, Oklahoma and the surrounding area.
• Dated 1967, with a 1979 imprint.
• Published by the US Geological Survey (USGS), a division of the Department of the Interior.
• Uses a traditional USGS topographical style with contour lines to represent elevation changes.
• Includes green shading to depict land cover types and forested areas.
• Shows water bodies with blue shading.
• Presents hills, valleys, and water bodies with precise topographic delineation.
• The landscape shown may have changed since 1967 due to urban development, agricultural land-use changes, and city expansion.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

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.