Published in 1988 using survey data from 1970, the US Geological Survey’s “Frisco” captures a pivotal mountain landscape in Summit County, Colorado, with the precision and restraint that define the best American topographical mapping. Centered on the historic town of Frisco, the map records a place poised between frontier mining heritage, alpine recreation, and modern resort-era development. At a scale of 1:24,000, it offers an intimate view of streets, watercourses, slopes, forest boundaries, transportation corridors, and built features. The result is both a scientific document and a portrait of a high-country community at a moment when Colorado’s central Rockies were being reshaped by tourism, highway access, reservoir infrastructure, and expanding settlement.

Frisco lies at the heart of the map, set amid the dramatic terrain of the Tenmile region and the broader Rocky Mountain landscape. The surrounding contour lines crowd and loosen across the sheet, revealing steep ridges, valley floors, and the complex relief typical of Colorado’s alpine counties. Ten Mile Creek threads through the area, a defining natural corridor that historically influenced movement, settlement, and later recreation. Nearby Breckenridge, though outside the immediate focus, forms part of the same regional story: mining camps evolving into ski towns, mountain routes becoming scenic highways, and rugged watersheds increasingly valued for leisure, conservation, and development alike.

One of the most striking features shown is Lake Dillon, also known as Dillon Reservoir, a major man-made body of water whose presence transformed the geography and economy of Summit County. Created to store water for the Denver metropolitan area, the reservoir altered earlier settlement patterns and became a central landmark for navigation, recreation, and regional identity. Its blue expanse contrasts vividly with the surrounding green forest shading and brown elevation contours, illustrating the USGS style at its clearest. The map places this engineered lake within its natural mountain basin, making visible the relationship between urban water needs, high-altitude hydrology, and the scenic Colorado landscape.

The cartographic language of the US Geological Survey is especially well suited to this terrain. Fine contour lines describe elevation with remarkable clarity, while standardized colors distinguish forests, water, roads, urbanized areas, and open land. U.S. Route 6 and Colorado State Highway 9 appear as essential arteries, linking Frisco to neighboring communities and to the larger mountain corridor. The nearby Arapaho National Forest and the distant influence of the Gore Range situate the town within a wider protected and mountainous environment. This balance of human and natural detail gives the map its enduring appeal: it is practical, measured, and quietly beautiful, yet full of historical implication.

As a historical document, “Frisco” offers a valuable snapshot of a mountain town before many later waves of growth altered the region’s character. Since the 1970 survey data, Summit County has seen substantial changes in residential development, resort infrastructure, transportation use, and land management priorities. The map preserves an earlier configuration of Frisco’s roads, shorelines, open spaces, and surrounding terrain, allowing viewers to compare past and present with unusual specificity. For collectors, historians, and admirers of Colorado’s high country, it is more than a topographical sheet: it is a carefully rendered record of place, showing how geology, water, forest, and settlement converged in one of the Rockies’ most evocative landscapes.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Frisco, Colorado
• Lake Dillon / Dillon Reservoir
• Ten Mile Creek
• Arapaho National Forest
• Gore Range
• Breckenridge nearby
• Summit County
• U.S. Route 6
• Colorado State Highway 9

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey
• Original data year: 1970
• Imprint year: 1988
• Scale: 1:24,000
• Historical topographical map highlighting Frisco, Colorado and the surrounding area
• Shows natural and man-made features, including geographic details and urban development
• Standard USGS topographical style with contour lines representing elevation changes
• Uses color coding to indicate different land uses, water features, and natural landscapes
• Depicts mountainous Colorado terrain, with contour intervals showing elevation and relief
• Reflects potential changes since 1970, including urban development, land-use changes, and regional socio-economic growth

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.