Published in 1964 from 1957 survey work, the US Geological Survey’s “Project City” captures a transformative corner of northern California at 1:24,000 scale. Centered on Shasta Lake and the community of Project City, the map records a landscape newly defined by one of the great engineering works of the twentieth century: Shasta Dam. Its topographic language is precise and elegant, using contour lines in feet, water forms, road symbols, and vegetation tints to render the meeting of rugged mountain terrain and immense reservoir. The result is both a scientific document and a historical portrait, preserving the appearance of the Shasta Lake region in the postwar years, when infrastructure, recreation, and resource management were rapidly reshaping the Sacramento River country.

The map was produced by the United States Geological Survey, the federal agency whose topographic quadrangles became the authoritative visual grammar of the American landscape. USGS mapping combined field survey, aerial photography, geodetic control, and standardized symbology to produce maps prized for their clarity and reliability. In “Project City,” that disciplined cartography gives the viewer an unusually intimate understanding of the land: steep slopes are revealed through close-set contours, flatter developed areas open into gentler spacing, and the lake’s branching inlets cut dramatically into the surrounding hills. The vibrant green used for forested areas contrasts beautifully with the calm geometry of Shasta Lake, making the map immediately legible while retaining the technical richness expected of mid-century American topographic mapping.

Shasta Lake dominates the sheet, its broad arms occupying the valleys once carved by rivers and creeks before the completion of Shasta Dam. Created as a cornerstone of the Central Valley Project, the reservoir became essential to irrigation, flood control, municipal water supply, and hydroelectric generation across California. The Sacramento River corridor, the Pit River, and Clear Creek all help explain why this site became so strategically important: here, water from a mountainous region could be collected, regulated, and sent southward to farms and cities. The map’s shoreline, inlets, and adjacent roads offer a snapshot of the lake in an early phase of its recreational and ecological history, before later decades of expanded tourism, marina development, and changing environmental management.

The surrounding place names anchor the map in the lived geography of Shasta County. Project City appears near the dam and reservoir landscape, while Redding lies nearby as the region’s principal urban center and gateway to the north state. State Highway 5, later part of the Interstate 5 corridor, emphasizes the area’s role as a major route between California’s Central Valley and the Pacific Northwest. Roads trace around the water and through wooded hillsides, linking settlements, dam facilities, recreational areas, and forested terrain. The map is especially evocative in showing the tension between movement and topography: highways and local roads seek practical passage through a landscape of ridges, drainages, lake arms, and steep contours.

As a historical object, “Project City” records more than elevation and hydrography; it preserves a moment in the evolving relationship between people, water, and mountain land. The Shasta Dam project had already transformed the Sacramento River system, and by 1957 the new reservoir landscape was becoming familiar, functional, and increasingly recreational. Forested slopes, inlets, contour-dense ridges, and engineered corridors together tell a story of mid-century California ambition: the harnessing of rivers, the expansion of transportation networks, and the opening of lake country to leisure and development. For collectors drawn to maps of the American West, this sheet offers a compelling blend of technical beauty, environmental history, and the quiet drama of a region reshaped by water.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Shasta Lake
• Project City
• Redding
• Sacramento River
• Shasta Dam
• Sierra Nevada Mountain Range
• Clear Creek
• Pit River
• State Highway 5 / I-5
• Forested areas and bodies of water, including inlets of Shasta Lake
• Recreational areas and parks near the lake

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map titled Project City
• Dated 1957 with a 1964 imprint
• Produced by the US Geological Survey / USGS
• Shows Shasta Lake, a major reservoir created by Shasta Dam and important for water supply and hydroelectric power
• Uses topographic symbols, contour lines, and shaded relief to show terrain and elevation changes
• Elevation is indicated in feet, providing detailed insight into the area’s topography
• Reflects the geographical conditions of the Shasta Lake area in the late 1950s
• Documents a landscape shaped by changing land use, development, environmental conditions, recreation, and reservoir management

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.