Created in 1943 by the United States Geological Survey, “Wichita East” presents a finely detailed topographical portrait of Wichita, Kansas, at a pivotal moment in the city’s twentieth-century growth. Drawn at a scale of 1:31,680, the map balances urban precision with geographic breadth, capturing the eastern side of Wichita and its surrounding rural margins. Streets, rail lines, residential blocks, parks, and individual outlined structures reveal a city already expanding beyond its historic core. The Arkansas River anchors the broader landscape, while contour lines trace the subtle rises and depressions of south-central Kansas. As a wartime-era USGS sheet, it offers both practical clarity and historical atmosphere, recording the built environment and landforms of Wichita as they stood in the early 1940s.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined visual language that made its topographic series indispensable to planners, engineers, travelers, and government agencies. Its clear grid system, measured road network, and carefully drawn elevation contours transform the city into an elegant field of information. Wichita’s famous rectilinear street pattern is visible across the sheet, with residential blocks arranged in orderly sequence and major thoroughfares cutting confidently through the urban fabric. Rail lines and stations speak to the city’s role as a transportation and manufacturing hub, while the mapping of schools, parks, and civic features gives the composition a distinctly lived-in character. The result is a cartographic document that is both analytical and evocative.

Wichita in 1943 was a city shaped by industry, aviation, agriculture, and wartime momentum. The map captures this energy in the relationship between established neighborhoods and outward-reaching development. College Hill appears as one of the city’s prominent residential districts, while Eastborough marks a refined suburban enclave on Wichita’s eastern edge. Delano, across the river from the older downtown area, evokes the city’s frontier and railroad past, and Riverside reflects a more leisurely landscape of parks, curving streets, and river proximity. Oaklawn and other surrounding settlements hint at the suburban and semi-rural growth that would accelerate after World War II. In these named places, the map preserves a layered portrait of metropolitan evolution.

The Arkansas River is one of the map’s defining natural features, threading through the Wichita landscape and shaping the placement of neighborhoods, bridges, parks, and transportation corridors. Its course provides a graceful counterpoint to the rigid street grid, reminding the viewer that urban order was imposed upon a much older geography of waterways, floodplains, and gentle prairie relief. Elevation contours reveal the modest but meaningful topographic variation of the region, marking hills, valleys, and drainage patterns that influenced road alignments and development. Parks and recreational areas appear as breathing spaces within the expanding city, offering glimpses of how Wichita residents engaged with the river and open land amid rapid urban change.

As a historical document, “Wichita East” is especially compelling for the way it records a city on the cusp of transformation. The Wichita shown here is neither a small prairie town nor the fully modern metropolitan area it would become in the postwar decades. Instead, it is a dynamic urban landscape of rail corridors, gridded neighborhoods, university grounds, industrial access routes, and emerging suburbs. Wichita State University and nearby institutions signal the city’s educational and civic ambitions, while the surrounding roads and rural tracts reveal room for expansion. For collectors of American city maps, Kansas history, or USGS topography, this sheet offers a richly textured view of place, progress, and landscape in 1943.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Wichita, Kansas
• Arkansas River
• College Hill neighborhood
• Eastborough
• Riverside
• Oaklawn
• Delano
• Wichita State University
• Several parks and recreational areas
• Various streets and roads, including major thoroughfares
• Rail lines and railway stations
• Residential blocks and grid patterns
• Elevated terrains with specific elevation markings

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map Title: Wichita East
• Publisher: Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Date: Created in 1943
• Map Scale: 1:31,680
• Extra Notes: Historical topographical map showing the landscape and urban layout of Wichita as of 1943; features outline structures and landforms based on survey data.
• Cartographic Details: Employs a clear grid system for easy navigation, with elevation contours illustrating the topographic character of the area, including hills and valleys.
• Topographic Character: Provides insight into the geographical relief of the area, with considerable detail given to local landforms.
• Historical Significance: Reflects the urban and rural layout of Wichita during the early 20th century, including later patterns of urban expansion and development tied to population growth and economic change.

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.