Titled “Davenport East,” this United States Geological Survey quadrangle presents Davenport, Iowa, and its Mississippi River setting at the precise 1:24,000 scale that made mid-century USGS mapping indispensable. Mapped in 1953 and carrying a 1976 imprint, it preserves a richly detailed picture of the city during a period of postwar growth, before later decades transformed many streets, industrial corridors, and suburban edges. Davenport appears not as an abstract civic name, but as a carefully measured landscape of neighborhoods, roads, railways, schools, parks, waterways, and elevation changes. The result is both a scientific document and a historical portrait: a city anchored to one of North America’s great rivers, captured at a moment when urban form, transportation, and riverfront geography were all visibly intertwined.

The USGS brought to this map the disciplined visual language for which its quadrangles are admired: clear contour lines, standardized symbols, restrained color, and a remarkable density of practical information. Shades of pink mark the urban fabric of Davenport, while white and surrounding tones allow open land, waterways, and relief to read cleanly. Roads and highways trace the city’s connections outward; railways reveal the enduring importance of freight, industry, and river commerce. Schools, hospitals, and other civic symbols lend the map an intimate human scale, transforming a technical survey into a record of daily life. Every line has a purpose, from the measured geometry of streets to the subtle curves that describe terrain descending toward the Mississippi.

The Mississippi River is the grand geographical presence of the map, shaping Davenport’s history, economy, and physical form. Its riparian zones, banks, and adjacent lowlands are set against the higher ground inland, where contour lines show the region’s varied topography. The river was never merely a boundary or scenic feature; it was a commercial artery, a transportation corridor, and a defining force in the growth of the Quad Cities region. On this sheet, the relationship between city and river is especially legible. Streets, rail lines, and developed areas gather near the water, while parks and open spaces soften portions of the urban grid. The map quietly conveys how settlement adapted to both opportunity and constraint along the Mississippi’s edge.

Beyond central Davenport, the map includes surrounding places and neighborhood names such as Sheridan and Lincoln, along with the layered infrastructure that connected them to the wider Iowa landscape. The pattern of roads and highways reveals an evolving metropolitan fabric, with established street grids giving way to less dense areas at the margins. Rail corridors and industrial zones hint at Davenport’s manufacturing and shipping heritage, while green spaces and water bodies interrupt the urban field with pockets of recreation and natural relief. For anyone interested in local history, the sheet invites comparison with the modern city: which streets endured, which districts expanded, and which landscapes were absorbed by later development.

As a historical object, “Davenport East” captures the value of USGS mapping at its finest: empirical, elegant, and deeply revealing. Its topographic lines do more than record elevation; they explain why roads bend, why neighborhoods cluster where they do, and how the city’s growth responded to slope, drainage, and river access. The 1953 survey date places the map in the early Cold War era, when accurate national mapping served civil planning, engineering, resource management, and public administration. Yet its appeal extends far beyond utility. It is a carefully composed vision of Davenport at mid-century, where scientific precision and local memory meet in a cartographic image of place, movement, and time.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Davenport
• Iowa
• Mississippi River
• Sheridan
• Lincoln
• Various streets and neighborhoods within Davenport
• Parks and green spaces
• Roads and highways
• Railways
• Contour lines indicating elevation changes
• Water bodies, including lakes and streams
• Urban infrastructure symbols, such as schools and hospitals

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map Name: Davenport East
• Date of Creation: 1953, with a 1976 imprint
• Mapmaker/Publisher: United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Scale: 1:24,000 topographical map
• Historical Significance: Offers insight into the historical layout of Davenport and its surroundings, reflecting urban development and land use changes over time
• Design and Cartographic Details: Uses shades of pink and white to indicate different land uses and elevations
• Topographic Character: Displays detailed contours and elevations, including riparian zones along the Mississippi River
• USGS Cartographic Style: Features typical 1950s USGS mapping elements, including topographical lines and symbols for urban infrastructure

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.