Titled “Englewood,” this 1940 United States Geological Survey map presents Denver and its southern environs at a revealing moment in the city’s twentieth-century growth. Drawn at a scale of 1:31,680, it captures the relationship between the established urban grid of Denver and the developing communities of Englewood and Littleton, where streets, rail corridors, waterways, and open land meet at the edge of the metropolis. The map’s topographical language is both precise and elegant: contour lines give form to the shallow valleys and subtle ridges of the Colorado Front Range foothill country, while color and linework distinguish settlement, transportation, drainage, and relief with the calm authority characteristic of USGS cartography.

The United States Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became the nation’s foremost scientific mapping institution, combining field observation, triangulation, elevation measurement, and standardized cartographic design. By the time this map was issued, the USGS had refined a visual style that balanced technical accuracy with remarkable readability. Here, Denver is not portrayed as an abstract city plan but as part of a living landscape shaped by rivers, creeks, terraces, and engineered infrastructure. The mapmaker’s discipline is visible in every contour interval and stream trace, offering a measured portrait of place that served planners, engineers, landowners, travelers, and public agencies alike.

The South Platte River forms one of the great organizing features of the map, bending through the Denver area and tying the city to the broader geography of the plains. Bear Creek and Cherry Creek add further structure, their courses marking natural corridors that influenced settlement, transport, and recreation. Around these waterways, the map records parks, neighborhoods, industrial edges, and open tracts, showing how Denver’s growth was already intertwined with the management of water and land. In the semi-arid environment of Colorado’s Front Range, such details are especially meaningful: creeks and river bottoms were not merely scenic features, but essential axes of movement, cultivation, drainage, and urban expansion.

Englewood and Littleton appear as distinct communities south of Denver, each with its own pattern of streets and development while remaining closely connected to the larger city. The presence of places such as Hampden Park and Cohen Park adds a civic and recreational dimension, suggesting a landscape in transition from rural and suburban margins toward denser metropolitan life. The map quietly documents this transformation before the immense postwar expansion that would reshape the Denver region. Roads and neighborhoods shown here offer a snapshot of pre-interstate Colorado, when local routes, rail lines, and creek valleys structured daily movement more visibly than the high-speed corridors that later came to dominate the urban landscape.

As a historical document, “Englewood” is especially compelling because it records Denver’s southern edge before decades of annexation, suburbanization, and infrastructural change altered the region’s appearance. The contour lines reveal the underlying terrain beneath the modern city, reminding the viewer that urban growth unfolded across a subtly varied landscape of slopes, draws, and river terraces. For anyone interested in Colorado history, urban geography, or the evolution of the Denver metropolitan area, the map offers a richly detailed view of a city poised between its nineteenth-century foundations and its mid-century expansion. It is both a scientific survey and a portrait of place, preserving the geography of a pivotal moment in 1940.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Denver
• Englewood
• Littleton
• Riverside
• Cohen Park
• South Platte River
• Bear Creek
• Hampden Park
• Cherry Creek
• Various streets and neighborhoods within Denver and Englewood
• Nearby valleys and ridges as indicated by contour lines

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical topographical map titled “Englewood”, dated 1940
• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Shows Denver, Colorado, and the surrounding area during a period of urban development
• Created in a traditional USGS topographical style
• Uses contour lines to indicate elevation changes and terrain features
• Includes a scale of 1:31,680
• Uses color and clear linework to distinguish landforms, populated areas, and hydrological features
• Provides insight into historical land use, settlement patterns, density, and infrastructure in the Denver area
• Reflects geographic features such as valleys, water bodies, and changes in elevation

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.