{"product_id":"old-map-of-davenport-iowa-by-usgs-1894-rock-island-mississippi-river-arsenal-island","title":"Old Map of Davenport, Iowa by USGS, 1894 – Rock Island, Mississippi River \u0026 Arsenal Island","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1917 from survey work completed in 1894, the US Geological Survey’s “Davenport” presents a finely observed portrait of the Mississippi River country at the meeting point of Iowa and Illinois. At a scale of 1:62,500, the map centers on Davenport, Iowa, while drawing in the neighboring river city of Rock Island and the surrounding Scott County landscape. Its measured clarity reflects the USGS’s late nineteenth-century mission: to catalogue the nation’s terrain with scientific precision for land management, infrastructure, settlement, and public knowledge. The result is both practical and evocative, capturing Davenport at a moment when river commerce, expanding urban neighborhoods, and rural hinterlands were all shaping the character of the region.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Mississippi River is the commanding feature of the map, curling through the sheet as both a natural boundary and a commercial artery. Islands and river sites punctuate its course, including Credit Island, Mac’s Island, and Arsenal Island, each suggesting the layered uses of the river corridor for transportation, defense, recreation, and industry. Rock Island appears across the water from Davenport, emphasizing the close relationship between these communities and the strategic importance of the river crossing. Boating routes and riverine features evoke a working waterway, while the surrounding banks reveal the intimate interplay between floodplain, settlement, and engineered access in an era before the modern interstate landscape transformed regional movement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDavenport itself is shown not merely as a name on the Mississippi, but as an urban form growing into its terrain. The map’s contour lines trace the rise from the riverfront to the Heights, revealing how topography influenced the city’s expansion, street patterns, and neighborhood development. Duck Creek, one of the defining waterways of the area, winds through the landscape and helps explain the placement of routes, open land, and settlement corridors. Nearby Buffalo and Winfield appear within a broader pattern of towns and rural districts, reminding the viewer that Davenport’s prosperity depended not only on river traffic but also on its surrounding agricultural and county networks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cartographic style is characteristic of early USGS topographic mapping: restrained, legible, and deeply informative. Contour lines provide a subtle but powerful reading of slopes, bluffs, creek valleys, and river lowlands, translating the physical landscape into a precise visual language. Rather than decorative flourish, the elegance lies in disciplined observation—the careful delineation of waterways, roads, settlements, county divisions, and relief. Pine Creek and other minor drainage features add texture to the sheet, while the uncluttered design allows the eye to move easily between urban blocks, rural roads, and the broader topographic structure of the Mississippi valley. It is a map made for knowledge, yet rich with atmosphere.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical document, the “Davenport” quadrangle offers a window into a region in transition between nineteenth-century river settlement and twentieth-century urban growth. The 1894 survey date preserves the geography of the area before many later infrastructural and suburban changes, while the 1917 publication places it in the Progressive Era, when systematic federal mapping was becoming essential to planning and development. Scott County Park and the surrounding countryside evoke a landscape of farms, creeks, wooded rises, and river recreation, even as Davenport and Rock Island signal industry, transport, and population growth. The map endures as a sophisticated record of place: scientific, regional, and quietly beautiful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDavenport\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRock Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuffalo\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWinfield\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScott County\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMississippi River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDuck Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCredit Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScott County Park\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHeights\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePine Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMac's Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArsenal Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRiver sites and boating routes\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 (USGS)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated in 1894 and published in 1917\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical topographic map of Davenport, Iowa, and the surrounding area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScale of 1:62,500\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows terrain through contour lines, indicating elevation changes and landforms\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects early 20th-century cartographic style, with a simple color scheme and clear delineation of geographical features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides insight into the geography and urban development of Davenport in the late 19th to early 20th centuries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects changes in land use and population growth over time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe USGS is known for rigorous scientific research and mapping to support understanding of U.S. landscapes and land management\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=\"\/es\/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=\"\/es\/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=\"\/es\/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=\"\/es\/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":58766458683776,"sku":null,"price":365.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58766458716544,"sku":null,"price":982.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58766458749312,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58766458782080,"sku":null,"price":365.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58766458814848,"sku":null,"price":982.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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