Published in 1907 by the United States Geological Survey, “Davisville” is a finely observed topographical portrait of Yolo County and the western edge of the Sacramento Valley at the dawn of the twentieth century. Centered on the settlement now known simply as Davis, the map captures a landscape in transition: agricultural fields, watercourses, rail connections, and rural communities arranged across the flat, fertile lowlands of northern California. At a scale of 1:62,500, it offers both regional breadth and local precision, revealing the spatial relationships between Davis, Woodland, the Sacramento River, Putah Creek, Lake Washington, and the surrounding wetlands. Its restrained early USGS palette and precise linework give the map an understated elegance, while its contours and hydrographic detail speak to the scientific ambitions of American mapping in this period.

The United States Geological Survey, established in 1879, brought a new rigor to the mapping of the American landscape. Its topographic sheets were not merely navigational aids, but instruments of national understanding, recording elevation, drainage, settlement, transportation, and land use with systematic care. This Davisville sheet belongs to that formative era of federal cartography, when surveyors were documenting the rapidly developing West in a standardized visual language. Contour lines trace subtle changes in elevation across a generally level valley floor, while rivers, sloughs, creeks, and wetlands are clearly distinguished from cultivated land. The result is a map that is both practical and poetic: an official scientific document that also preserves the texture of a rural California landscape before the full force of twentieth-century growth.

Davis itself appears here before its later identity as a major university town became fully established. Known today for the University of California, Davis, environmental innovation, bicycles, and agricultural research, the place shown on this map was still closely tied to fields, railroads, and water management. The Southern Pacific Railroad is a defining presence, reflecting the importance of rail infrastructure in linking farm communities to Sacramento, the Bay Area, and broader western markets. Nearby Woodland, the county seat of Yolo County, anchors the northern portion of the sheet, while roads and rural routes suggest the practical geography of early automobile and wagon-era travel. Seen today, the map offers a fascinating view of Davis before suburban expansion, campus growth, and modern highways transformed the region.

Water is one of the great protagonists of the Davisville map. The Sacramento River defines a major eastern boundary of the landscape, accompanied by a complex network of sloughs, creeks, wetlands, and low-lying areas. Sutter Slough, Putah Creek, McDocket Creek, Lake Washington, and associated marshlands evoke a hydrological world that shaped settlement, agriculture, flooding, and transportation. In the early 1900s, understanding these waterways was essential for farming, reclamation, levee construction, and regional planning. The USGS treatment of the riverine landscape is especially compelling: water bodies are rendered with clarity and restraint, while surrounding landforms and drainage patterns reveal the delicate balance between cultivation and natural floodplain. This is a map of fertile promise, but also of environmental complexity.

As a historical document, Davisville records a California landscape poised between nineteenth-century settlement patterns and modern development. Agricultural land dominates the surrounding countryside, reminding us that Yolo County’s identity has long been rooted in rich soils, irrigation, and the productivity of the Sacramento Valley. Routes that would later evolve or be superseded by modern corridors, including the line associated with California Highway 16, appear within a more spacious rural framework. The map’s quiet precision allows contemporary viewers to compare past and present: the growth of Davis, the reshaping of wetlands, the expansion of transportation networks, and the enduring importance of rivers and creeks. Elegant, informative, and historically resonant, it is a compelling image of northern California at a pivotal moment in its development.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Davis
• Woodland
• Sacramento River
• Lake Washington
• Putah Creek
• Yolo County
• Sutter Slough
• McDocket Creek
• Southern Pacific Railroad
• California Highway 16
• Agricultural land areas
• Water bodies and wetlands

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map name: Davisville
• Published by the US Geological Survey in 1907
• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map of Davis, California and the surrounding area
• The USGS was established in 1879 and became a vital source of scientific data and mapping in the United States
• Features clear delineation of landforms, water bodies, and early 20th-century infrastructure
• Uses a muted color palette typical of early 20th-century cartography
• Shows elevation changes with contour lines
• Provides insight into the geographical layout and infrastructure of early 1900s California
• Reflects historical land use, development patterns, and hydrological features of the region

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.