Published in 1966 from survey work created in 1954, the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Tulsa” presents a mid-century portrait of one of Oklahoma’s defining urban landscapes. The map captures Tulsa at a moment when the city’s oil-era prosperity, expanding neighborhoods, and modern infrastructure were reshaping the Arkansas River region. Its official, restrained title belies the richness of the scene: a carefully measured topographic record of streets, districts, waterways, parks, and industrial corridors. Produced by the USGS, whose maps set the national standard for precision, it reflects both scientific discipline and civic history. The contrast between the publication date and the underlying survey data makes the map especially evocative, preserving Tulsa as it was understood before later decades of suburban growth and infrastructural change.

The cartographic language of the map is unmistakably mid-twentieth-century USGS: clean, systematic, and highly informative. Contour lines describe the city’s terrain with quiet authority, revealing subtle rises, drainage patterns, and the relationship between built areas and the natural landform beneath them. Urbanized zones are emphasized in red, standing in sharp contrast to the lighter tones used for open land, parks, and hydrological features. This red overprint gives the map a striking visual rhythm, allowing Tulsa’s street grid and dense neighborhoods to emerge clearly from the surrounding landscape. Rather than presenting the city as an abstract plan, the map places it within the physical world—showing elevation, slope, water, and settlement as intertwined forces shaping development.

At the heart of the composition is Tulsa itself, a city whose twentieth-century identity was deeply tied to petroleum, railroads, aviation, and regional commerce. The map records not only the central urban fabric but also the various neighborhoods and districts that radiated outward from the core. It hints at the scale of postwar expansion, when American cities were being transformed by automobiles, new housing patterns, and the growing importance of airports and arterial roads. Tulsa Municipal Airport appears as a key landmark, emblematic of the city’s increasing connection to national transportation networks. Around the mapped streets and districts, parks and shaded green spaces offer evidence of civic planning and recreational landscapes within an increasingly urban setting.

Lake Yahola provides one of the map’s most notable natural and civic features, anchoring the northern part of the Tulsa landscape with a body of water central to the city’s water supply history. Rivers and streams wind through the area, their courses made legible by the topographic treatment and the careful delineation typical of USGS work. These waterways are more than decorative details: they help explain settlement patterns, elevation changes, drainage, and land use. The contouring around them reveals the quiet complexity of the local terrain, from low-lying corridors to higher ground. Such details make the map valuable not only as a city plan, but as a geographic document showing how Tulsa’s built environment adapted to the physical conditions of northeastern Oklahoma.

As a historical snapshot, “Tulsa” is especially compelling because so much of the region has changed since the 1954 survey. Later highway construction, suburban growth, environmental alteration, and population shifts would reshape the metropolitan area in ways not yet visible here. The map therefore preserves an earlier configuration of neighborhoods, transportation routes, open spaces, and water features, inviting comparison with the modern city. Its precision is practical, but its historical resonance is profound: every contour, street, and shaded park records a specific moment in Tulsa’s evolution. Created by one of America’s most respected mapping institutions, it stands as both a technical achievement and a richly detailed portrait of a city in transition.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Tulsa
• Lake Yahola
• Tulsa Municipal Airport
• Various neighborhoods and districts within Tulsa
• Parks and green spaces indicated by shaded regions
• Rivers and streams winding through the area

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
• Created in 1954 and published in 1966 using historical survey data
• Reflects the topographical understanding of the Tulsa area during the mid-20th century
• Shows detailed contour representation of terrain and elevation changes
• Uses red to highlight urban areas, contrasting with lighter tones for natural features
• Includes contours and shaded regions illustrating elevation, terrain, land use, and urban development
• Preserves a historical snapshot of Tulsa before later changes in infrastructure, population, and the environment

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.