Published in 1964 from survey data collected in 1956, the US Geological Survey’s “Forest Grove Quadrangle” captures a revealing mid-century portrait of Washington County, Oregon, at a moment when town, farm, forest, and road were being carefully measured into the modern landscape. Centered on Forest Grove and its surrounding communities, the map records a region balanced between the settled Tualatin Valley and the rising, wooded foothills to the west. Its 1:62,500 scale allows both broad regional relationships and local details to emerge: roads, streams, contours, settlement names, and vegetation patterns combine to show how people moved through and inhabited this part of northwestern Oregon in the years after World War II.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined clarity for which its quadrangles are renowned. Established in 1879, the USGS became the federal authority on topographic and geological mapping, producing sheets that served engineers, foresters, planners, scientists, and travelers alike. Here, its cartographic language is precise yet elegant: contour lines articulate the rise and fall of hills and valleys, while a vivid green tint distinguishes wooded terrain and vegetative cover. Numbered elevation points punctuate the landscape, transforming the map into a three-dimensional reading of the land. The result is not merely a navigational document, but a finely structured visual account of terrain, settlement, and natural resource geography.

Forest Grove appears as the principal place on the map, joined by Hillsboro, Cornelius, Gaston, Banks, Verboort, Gales Creek, West Union, and the western edge of Beaverton’s expanding orbit. These names trace a chain of communities whose histories are tied to agriculture, timber, transportation, and the growth of the Portland metropolitan fringe. Roads such as Oregon Route 6 and Highway 47 reveal the connective skeleton of the region, linking valley towns with forested uplands and routes toward the Coast Range. Trails, local roads, and rural paths add a finer grain, suggesting the lived landscape of farms, creeks, wooded parcels, and small settlements before later suburban expansion dramatically altered the county.

Water gives the quadrangle much of its geographic coherence. The Tualatin River and its associated drainage system, including Dairy Creek, South Fork Dairy Creek, North Fork Dairy Creek, and Cedar Mill Creek, are clearly expressed as they thread through lowlands and rolling country. These streams shaped settlement, agriculture, and travel, providing natural corridors through a landscape otherwise defined by wooded hills and cultivated valleys. The contouring around the waterways reveals subtle floodplains, slopes, and divides, while the green-shaded areas emphasize the enduring importance of forests in the region’s economy and identity. Read closely, the map shows a dynamic relationship between drainage, elevation, vegetation, and human occupation.

As a historical document, the “Forest Grove Quadrangle” preserves Washington County during a transitional era. The mid-1950s survey data records a landscape still strongly rural, with Forest Grove, Hillsboro, and neighboring towns set amid fields, timberland, and creek valleys rather than the continuous development that would later characterize parts of the area. Its careful depiction of parks, wooded tracts, roads, and elevation contours offers a baseline for understanding environmental and urban change in northwest Oregon. For collectors, the map’s appeal lies in this fusion of scientific precision and historical atmosphere: a bright, information-rich topographic portrait of a county poised between its agrarian past and its suburban future.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Forest Grove
• Hillsboro
• Cornelius
• Gaston
• Banks
• Verboort
• Gales Creek
• West Union
• Beaverton
• Washington County
• Tualatin River
• Dairy Creek
• South Fork Dairy Creek
• North Fork Dairy Creek
• Cedar Mill Creek
• Numerous roads, including US Highway 47 and Oregon Route 6
• Various parks and forested areas indicated by green shades
• Numbered elevation points and contours
• Trails and paths connecting different areas

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map of the Forest Grove Quadrangle in Oregon.
• Derived from survey data collected in 1956 and published in 1964.
• Produced by the US Geological Survey, known for detailed topographic and geological mapping.
• Uses a bright green color scheme to represent vegetation and terrain.
• Features contour lines to show elevation changes across hills, valleys, and varied terrain.
• Reflects mid-20th-century geography and settlement patterns in Oregon.
• Offers insight into the evolution of forested areas and urban development over time.

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 18x24in (45x60cm) 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.