Published in 1960 from mapping created in 1950, the US Geological Survey’s “Topeka” presents the Kansas capital at a revealing mid-century moment, when established civic institutions, expanding neighborhoods, and the surrounding agricultural landscape all met along the Kansas River. At the detailed 1:24,000 scale, the map offers an intimate portrait of Shawnee County’s urban and natural fabric: the gridded streets of Topeka, the campus of Washburn University, rail corridors, arterial roads, streams, parks, and rural margins. Its design is immediately legible and quietly elegant, with red emphasizing built-up districts while contour lines describe the subtle rise and fall of the land. The result is both a practical survey document and a richly textured historical record of place.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the rigor of one of America’s most important scientific mapping institutions. Founded in the late nineteenth century, the USGS became synonymous with systematic topographic mapping, producing sheets that served engineers, planners, geologists, conservationists, and local governments. In “Topeka,” that tradition is visible in the precise coordination of transportation networks, hydrography, elevation, and settlement. Roads and railways appear in clear, differentiated linework, while waterways and contour intervals give the city a geographical setting rather than merely an urban plan. This is the kind of map that reveals how a capital city functions in its landscape: where it crosses rivers, where development follows level ground, and where rural terrain still presses against the city’s edges.

Topeka’s position on the Kansas River is central to the map’s story. The river, one of the defining waterways of northeastern Kansas, curves through the sheet as both a natural feature and a historical force, shaping transport, settlement, and industry. Nearby streams, lakes, and drainage lines add a finer hydrological texture, reminding the viewer that the city’s growth depended on the management of water and land. South of the urban core, the Wakarusa River and associated lowlands help define the broader terrain, while the surrounding rolling hills are rendered through close, disciplined contouring. These topographic details make the map especially engaging: the viewer can read not only where Topeka stood in 1950, but how the land itself guided its expansion.

The map captures Topeka during an era of postwar change, when American cities were extending outward through new residential districts, improved roads, and increasing automobile infrastructure. The red urban tint marks concentrations of development, distinguishing neighborhoods, civic areas, and commercial corridors from the open countryside beyond. Washburn University appears as one of the city’s notable anchors, while parks and recreational grounds, shown in green, punctuate the urban pattern with public open space. Rail lines trace an older geography of movement and commerce, running alongside the newer road network that would increasingly define mid-century growth. In this way, the sheet records a city between eras: rooted in rail, river, and state government, yet already moving toward suburban expansion.

As a historical object, “Topeka” is compelling because it transforms ordinary infrastructure into a portrait of time. Streets, streams, contours, railways, neighborhoods, and rural lanes combine to show how the Kansas capital was organized before later decades of highway construction, suburban growth, and metropolitan change altered the region. For anyone interested in Kansas history, urban planning, landscape studies, or the visual language of American cartography, the map offers layered pleasures: the clarity of USGS design, the precision of mid-century surveying, and the quiet drama of a city set within prairie topography. It is at once scientific and evocative, presenting Topeka not as an abstraction, but as a living landscape of institutions, neighborhoods, rivers, and roads.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Topeka
• Kansas River
• Shawnee County
• Wakarusa River
• Washburn University
• Various neighborhoods and residential areas
• Parks and recreational areas
• Roads and railways
• Water features including lakes and streams
• Nearby rural communities and the associated topographic landscape

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Topeka, Kansas and the surrounding area.
• Created in 1950 and published in 1960.
• Published by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
• The USGS is a scientific agency of the U.S. government, known for its detailed topographical mapping across the country.
• The map prominently features Topeka, the capital of Kansas, along with surrounding areas, neighborhoods, and natural features.
• Urban areas are highlighted in red, while topographic features are represented with contour lines.
• The map shows a mix of urban development, rural areas, rolling hills, and water bodies, notably the Kansas River.
• It captures a mid-20th-century snapshot of Topeka’s urbanization, land use, and infrastructure development.

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.