Published in 1976 from 1953 survey data, the US Geological Survey’s “Port Townsend South” presents a richly detailed portrait of the northeastern Olympic Peninsula before later waves of suburban expansion and changing land use. At the precise 1:24,000 scale, the map captures Port Townsend, Discovery Bay, Glen Cove, and the coast along the Strait of Juan de Fuca with the clarity and authority that made USGS quadrangles indispensable. Its clean mid-century design balances practical readability with quiet elegance: roads, trails, shorelines, waterways, and settlement patterns are rendered with disciplined precision, while contour lines give the land an immediate sculptural presence. As a historical document, it preserves a moment when the region’s maritime identity, rural landscapes, and rugged topography remained especially legible.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map nearly a century of national cartographic expertise. Founded in 1879, the agency became the United States’ preeminent authority on topographical and geological mapping, producing maps that served engineers, planners, naturalists, military users, hikers, and local communities alike. “Port Townsend South” belongs to that great tradition of systematic landscape measurement, where every contour, road, shoreline, and benchmark contributes to a larger scientific portrait of place. Unlike decorative maps made primarily for display, USGS quadrangles were designed to be used, trusted, and read closely. Their beauty lies in their rigor: a refined visual language in which color, line, and symbol transform complex terrain into an intelligible and enduring record of the American landscape.

Port Townsend itself gives the map much of its historical resonance. Set on a commanding waterfront position, the city grew in the nineteenth century as a seaport and customs hub, its fortunes tied to shipping, timber, military activity, and the maritime routes of Puget Sound. During the Klondike Gold Rush, Port Townsend served as one of the departure points for prospectors and supplies heading north, part of the wider Pacific Northwest network feeding dreams of Alaskan fortune. The map records the city and its environs not through romantic embellishment, but through the exacting vocabulary of topography—streets, coastlines, harbor approaches, and nearby uplands. For admirers of Victorian Port Townsend, it offers a grounded geographical setting for the architecture and seafaring culture that still define the town.

The surrounding landscape is equally compelling, with Discovery Bay, nearby hills and valleys, and the intricate coastal edge of Jefferson County all carefully described. Bold elevation coloring and clear contour intervals reveal the terrain’s transitions from sheltered shoreline to rising ground, expressing the physical drama of the Olympic Peninsula’s northeastern edge. The contour work is especially important here, where ridges, slopes, and valleys influence travel routes, settlement patterns, drainage, and views toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Roads and trails thread through this varied land, connecting Port Townsend with Glen Cove, Discovery Bay, and the rural interiors beyond. The result is a map that reads both as a navigational tool and as a study in the relationship between human movement and coastal topography.

Fort Worden State Park and Port Townsend State Park add further layers of cultural and natural interest. Fort Worden, once part of the strategic coastal defense system guarding Puget Sound, anchors the map in the military history of the Pacific Northwest, while the state parks speak to the region’s enduring recreational and scenic value. The 1953 survey data is particularly evocative because it captures the area before many later transformations, preserving earlier road alignments, settlement density, and land-use patterns. Across the map, the meeting of land and water is central: bays, coves, headlands, and coastal routes shape both the visual composition and the human story. “Port Townsend South” is therefore not merely a topographic sheet, but a finely observed historical landscape of seaport heritage, strategic geography, and Pacific Northwest terrain.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Port Townsend
• Discovery Bay
• Port Townsend State Park
• Glen Cove
• Fort Worden State Park
• Jefferson County
• Various roads and trails
• Nearby hills and valleys
• Coastline along the Straits of Juan de Fuca

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Port Townsend, Washington and the surrounding area.
• Dated 1953, with a 1976 imprint.
• The USGS is a scientific agency of the U.S. government, known for its geological and topographical mapping across the United States.
• Port Townsend is historically significant as a 19th-century seaport and is known for its Victorian architecture.
• Port Townsend played an important role during the Klondike Gold Rush as a departure point for prospectors.
• The map uses bold colors for elevation changes, with contour lines clearly indicating topography.
• It features a clean layout typical of USGS maps from that era, designed for easy interpretation of geographic features.
• The map shows varied elevations, with detailed contour lines depicting hills and valleys in the rugged regional terrain.
• The 1953 survey data reflects the area before significant urban development and land-use changes, offering insight into the natural landscape and early settlement patterns.

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.