Published with a 1968 imprint from 1954 mapping, the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Friday Harbor” captures a richly indented corner of Washington’s San Juan Archipelago at a moment when island settlement, ferry travel, and maritime geography were closely intertwined. At 1:24,000 scale, the map centers on Friday Harbor, the principal town of San Juan Island and an essential ferry terminal linking the island world to the mainland. The surrounding waters, rendered in clear blue, define the composition as much as the land itself: Griffin Bay, Garrison Bay, Whale Pass, and the channels between San Juan, Shaw, Orcas, Lopez, and neighboring islands form a navigational landscape of coves, headlands, and protected passages.

The U.S. Geological Survey brought its characteristic precision to this coastal topographic sheet, combining scientific restraint with an elegant visual language. Contour lines describe the island’s rolling relief, while color-coded elevation shading helps distinguish low shorelines, inland rises, and the subtle undulations of valleys and uplands. Roads, trails, ferry approaches, and settlement patterns are carefully organized, creating a portrait of both natural terrain and human use. In the mid-twentieth century, USGS quadrangles were indispensable tools for engineers, planners, scientists, hikers, and mariners, and this map reflects that practical authority while also preserving the quiet beauty of the San Juans’ fragmented coastline.

Friday Harbor itself appears as the map’s civic and maritime heart, set against the sheltered waters that helped make it a durable population center. Around it, the map names and delineates San Juan Valley and Beaverton Valley, landscapes that reveal the island’s agricultural and residential development beyond the waterfront. Garrison Bay evokes the region’s layered history, including the era of Anglo-American boundary tensions in the San Juans, while Griffin Bay and Eagle Cove show the softer, scenic margins of the island’s southern and eastern shores. The careful placement of roads and trails suggests a community connected by modest infrastructure, still deeply shaped by topography and access to water.

Beyond San Juan Island, the map opens outward to a constellation of nearby islands and passages. Jones Island, Shaw Island, Brown Island, Spieden Island, and portions of Orcas, Lopez, and Cypress islands create a broader geographic setting, emphasizing the archipelago’s intricate pattern of land and sea. Deer Harbor and Shaw Island State Park point to recreational and maritime destinations, while Turn Point and the lighthouse at Point Caution underscore the hazards and guidance systems of coastal navigation. The naming of waterways and coastal features gives the sheet a distinctly nautical atmosphere, reminding the viewer that in the San Juans, movement by boat has long been as important as travel by road.

As a historical document, “Friday Harbor” offers a compelling mid-century view of a region now closely associated with tourism, conservation, ferry routes, and marine wildlife. Its detailed contours and shoreline forms allow modern viewers to compare older settlement patterns with later urbanization and environmental change. The map predates many contemporary pressures on the archipelago, yet it already records the essential framework of island life: small towns, protected bays, forested hills, working roads, parklands, and navigable channels. Both scientifically rigorous and visually evocative, it presents Friday Harbor and the surrounding San Juan Islands as a landscape of remarkable complexity, where geology, water, settlement, and history meet in elegant cartographic form.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Friday Harbor
• San Juan Island
• The San Juan Archipelago
• Jones Island
• Shaw Island
• Orcas Island
• Lopez Island
• Cypress Island
• Garrison Bay
• Griffin Bay
• Eagle Cove
• San Juan Valley
• Beaverton Valley
• Turn Point
• Whale Pass
• Spieden Island
• Brown Island
• Deer Harbor
• Shaw Island State Park
• Lighthouse at Point Caution
• Various trails and roads throughout the mapped area
• Coastlines and waterways marking navigable routes

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, and the surrounding area in Washington.
• The map is dated 1954 with a 1968 imprint.
• Published by the U.S. Geological Survey, a prominent scientific agency known for producing topographic maps and conducting geological surveys in the United States.
• The map features color-coded elevation shading to represent topography, with contour lines used to depict terrain relief.
• Clear blue coloring is used for water bodies, helping distinguish land from water.
• It includes detailed contour lines, elevation data, and marked trails, reflecting the varied terrain of this coastal region.
• The map provides insight into the geography and development of the region in the mid-20th century.
• It helps illustrate environmental change and urbanization in Friday Harbor and the surrounding area over time.

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.