{"product_id":"old-map-of-boulder-colorado-by-usgs-1904-gunbarrel-table-mountain-south-boulder-creek","title":"Old Map of Boulder, Colorado by USGS, 1904 – Gunbarrel, Table Mountain \u0026 South Boulder Creek","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1926 from survey work dated 1904, the US Geological Survey’s “Boulder” presents an early twentieth-century portrait of one of Colorado’s most distinctive Front Range landscapes. Drawn at the practical and revealing scale of 1:62,500, the map captures Boulder at a moment when the town’s identity was being shaped by education, mining legacies, agriculture, transport, and access to the mountains. Its restrained earth-toned palette and precise contouring give the sheet an elegant scientific clarity, while also conveying the drama of terrain rising abruptly from plains to foothills. The result is both a technical document and a historical window onto Boulder before the modern expansion that would transform it into a celebrated center of outdoor culture, research, and innovation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became one of the most influential cartographic institutions in American history, charged with measuring, classifying, and explaining the nation’s varied terrain. Maps such as this were essential tools for engineers, geologists, land managers, railroad planners, miners, and settlers, translating field observation into a standardized visual language. Here, the USGS topographic method is especially compelling: contour lines do more than mark elevation; they reveal the shape and energy of the land. Hills, ridges, valleys, creek beds, roadways, and rail lines are brought into disciplined relation, allowing the viewer to understand Boulder not simply as a town, but as a settlement inseparable from its surrounding geology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoulder itself appears amid a richly textured setting of creeks, slopes, routes, and rising ground. Boulder Creek and South Boulder Creek provide natural axes through the landscape, their courses cutting across the mapped terrain and helping explain patterns of settlement, movement, and land use. The nearby foothills are rendered with close, rhythmic contour lines, making visible the transition from the flatter lands east of town to the rugged mountain front. Table Mountain, unnamed ridges, and surrounding uplands lend the map a strong sense of verticality. Roads and railways trace the human imprint across this demanding geography, while dotted trails suggest older, more intimate pathways through the hills and valleys.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map belongs to a period of rapid change in and around Boulder. By the early 1900s, the city had already developed from a frontier settlement into a regional community with educational, commercial, and agricultural importance, anchored by the University of Colorado and connected to broader markets by rail and road. The landscape shown here preserves evidence of those connections, as infrastructure threads across creek corridors and open ground. At the same time, the map predates much of Boulder’s later suburban growth and technological prominence, giving it a rare documentary value. Places such as Gunbarrel and the surrounding rural lands appear in a context very different from their later development.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes this map especially appealing is the tension between precision and atmosphere. The USGS’s fine contour work transforms the Boulder area into a sculptural composition of slopes, basins, and drainages, while the muted topographic colors evoke the arid plains, ochre hills, and mountain shadows of Colorado’s Front Range. It is a map for reading slowly: every creek bend, railway alignment, dotted trail, and clustered contour suggests a story of movement, settlement, resource use, or exploration. For admirers of Colorado history, American scientific mapping, or mountain landscapes, “Boulder” offers a beautifully ordered view of a place whose natural setting has always been central to its identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBoulder\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGunbarrel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTable Mountain\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFoothills\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouth Boulder Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBoulder Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious unnamed hills and ridges\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTrails indicated by dotted lines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoad networks\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRailways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:62,500 topographical map shows Boulder, Colorado and the surrounding area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe map is dated 1904 and carries a 1926 imprint.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublished by the US Geological Survey, an institution known for its detailed topographical mapping and contributions to geological and geographical studies in the United States.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe map features contour lines representing elevation changes, with clear distinctions between landforms and water bodies.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIts earth-toned color palette is characteristic of topographic maps from the period.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe map provides a detailed representation of the rugged Colorado terrain, including hills, valleys, and water features.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIt reflects early 20th-century geographical knowledge of the Boulder area, during a period of growth, infrastructure change, and evolving land use patterns.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith 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 \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58763617108352,"sku":null,"price":365.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58763617141120,"sku":null,"price":982.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58763617173888,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58763617206656,"sku":null,"price":365.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58763617239424,"sku":null,"price":982.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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