Published in 1980 from survey data gathered in 1979, the US Geological Survey’s “Ste. Genevieve” captures one of Missouri’s most historic river towns at a precise late-twentieth-century moment. Drawn at the intimate 1:24,000 scale, the map belongs to the classic USGS topographic quadrangle tradition: a disciplined, highly legible portrait of settlement, terrain, water, and infrastructure. Ste. Genevieve appears not as an isolated dot, but as the center of a wider landscape shaped by the Mississippi River, local creeks, roads, ridges, and bottomlands. For collectors, its appeal lies in the union of technical exactitude and regional memory—a measured depiction of a place whose history reaches far deeper than the date printed in its margin.

Ste. Genevieve is among the oldest European-founded communities west of the Mississippi, long associated with French colonial settlement, river commerce, agriculture, and the cultural borderlands of the American interior. On this map, that deep past is translated into the modern language of topography: streets, routes, drainage lines, and elevation contours record how the town sits within its physical setting. The Mississippi River, always central to Ste. Genevieve’s identity, anchors the geography and reminds the viewer of the waterborne networks that once connected the settlement to New Orleans, St. Louis, and the broader French and American frontiers. The map’s restrained USGS style gives historical resonance to ordinary details, turning road alignments and creek valleys into evidence of enduring patterns of movement and habitation.

The terrain around Ste. Genevieve is especially well served by the USGS topographic method. Fine contour lines trace the hills and valleys surrounding the town, revealing the relationship between the river lowlands and the higher ground beyond. These elevation markings are not decorative; they are a subtle visual grammar of the landscape, showing slopes, ravines, ridgelines, and drainage basins with quiet precision. Pigeon Creek and the St. Genevieve River add further structure, their courses helping explain the natural corridors and low places through which roads, farms, and settlements developed. The result is a map that rewards close reading, offering both an immediate view of the region and a layered understanding of how geology, water, and human use intersect.

As a product of the US Geological Survey, the map reflects one of America’s great cartographic institutions at work. USGS quadrangles became indispensable tools for engineers, planners, hikers, historians, and landowners, prized for their standardized symbols, reliable elevations, and balanced treatment of natural and built features. In the “Ste. Genevieve” sheet, roads and landmarks are crisply differentiated from hydrography and relief, allowing the eye to move easily between town streets, rural approaches, river margins, and surrounding countryside. This clarity is part of the map’s enduring elegance. It does not romanticize the region, yet its precision creates a compelling portrait of place—measured, factual, and beautifully ordered.

Because the map was surveyed in 1979, it also serves as a valuable historical document of land use just before later decades of development, infrastructure change, and environmental management reshaped many American communities. The Ste. Genevieve shown here is a town embedded in its riverine and agricultural surroundings, with the Mississippi corridor, local waterways, roads, hills, and valleys all carefully recorded. For anyone interested in Missouri history, French colonial heritage, river towns, or the evolving landscape of the American Midwest, this map offers more than geographical information. It preserves a moment when the old patterns of settlement and the modern systems of mapping met on the page, creating a richly detailed portrait of Ste. Genevieve and its surrounding country.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Ste. Genevieve
• St. Genevieve River
• Mississippi River
• Pigeon Creek
• Numerous roads
• Parks or natural reserves, if specifically noted on the map
• Surrounding natural features such as hills and valleys
• Nearest neighborhoods or historic sites, if indicated on the map

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, or USGS
• Created from 1979 survey data and published in 1980
• 1:24,000 scale topographical map of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, and the surrounding area
• Uses standard USGS cartographic conventions, including contour lines for elevation
• Shows well-defined topographical features, roads, landmarks, hills, and valleys
• Provides a snapshot of land use and geographical features in the late 1970s
• Useful for seeing how the area may have changed due to later urban development or environmental change

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.