{"product_id":"old-map-of-anacortes-washington-by-usgs-1951-fidalgo-island-guemes-island-rosario-strait","title":"Old Map of Anacortes, Washington by USGS, 1951 – Fidalgo Island, Guemes Island \u0026 Rosario Strait","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1965 from survey data gathered in 1951, the US Geological Survey’s “Anacortes” presents a richly detailed mid-century portrait of Washington’s island-studded northern Puget Sound. At 1:62,500 scale, the map balances broad regional context with fine topographic precision, centering on Anacortes and Fidalgo Island while extending across the surrounding waterways, bays, and neighboring islands. The original title is spare and purposeful, in the classic USGS manner, yet the sheet itself is full of visual complexity: shorelines, roads, contours, settlements, and marine passages interlock in a landscape where land and water are inseparable. As a historical document, it captures Anacortes at a moment when maritime industry, road access, and coastal settlement were reshaping a place long defined by its harbor and island geography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cartographic character of the map is unmistakably topographical, with contour lines giving sculptural form to the hills and lowlands of Fidalgo Island, Guemes Island, Burrows Island, Cypress Island, and their smaller neighbors. These lines reveal the sudden rises and sheltered hollows typical of the Salish Sea’s glaciated terrain, where rocky islands emerge from deep channels and broad bays. Color is used with clarity and restraint: water bodies stand apart from land, built features are legible, and natural forms are easy to read at a glance. Padilla Bay and Skagit Bay appear as important coastal expanses to the east and south, while Rosario Strait opens the map westward toward the San Juan Islands, emphasizing Anacortes’ position as a gateway between mainland Washington and the archipelago beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProduced by the US Geological Survey, the map reflects one of the great strengths of American public cartography: the systematic rendering of both natural landscape and human infrastructure. Roads, trails, pathways, place names, and developed areas are shown alongside shorelines, elevations, marshy margins, and wooded uplands, creating a layered record of how people inhabited and moved through this coastal region in the early 1950s. Anacortes itself appears not merely as a town, but as a strategic maritime settlement, oriented toward channels, bays, and ferry routes. Nearby Bellingham and Lummi Island help frame the wider geography of the northern Washington coast, while the marine spaces near the San Juan Islands remind the viewer that navigation and waterborne connection were central to regional life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe islands named on the sheet give the map much of its charm and historical interest. Guemes Island lies close to Anacortes, intimate and accessible, while Cypress Island and Sinclair Island suggest the more remote, wooded character of the inner Salish Sea. Burrows Island, Huckleberry Island, and Saddlebag Island add further texture to the coastal scene, each contributing to the intricate pattern of channels, coves, and headlands. The surrounding waters—Rosario Strait, Padilla Bay, Skagit Bay, and adjoining marine passages—are not empty spaces but vital geographical actors, shaping settlement, commerce, fishing, recreation, and transportation. This is a map of thresholds: between land and sea, town and wilderness, mainland and island, industry and natural beauty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a mid-20th-century snapshot, “Anacortes” offers a compelling basis for comparison with the modern landscape. The 1951 survey data preserves a moment before later waves of urban expansion, environmental regulation, marina development, and changing patterns of tourism transformed parts of the region. Parks and nature reserves noted on the map point to landscapes already recognized for their public and ecological value, while the roads and built features record the practical infrastructure of the period. For collectors drawn to coastal geography, Pacific Northwest history, or the disciplined beauty of USGS topography, this map is especially evocative. It portrays Anacortes and its neighboring islands with scientific precision, yet also conveys the romance of a rugged maritime frontier defined by tides, forests, straits, and shifting horizons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnacortes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFidalgo Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGuemes Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBurrows Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCypress Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHuckleberry Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSaddlebag Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLummi Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSinclair Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRosario Strait\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBellingham\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePadilla Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSkagit Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMarine areas near the San Juan Islands\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious roads, trails, and pathways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eParks or nature reserves noted on the map\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublished by the US Geological Survey.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated from 1951 survey data and published in 1965.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1:62,500 scale topographical map.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDepicts Anacortes, Washington, and significant surrounding coastal and island areas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects mid-20th-century geography, land use, and human development in the region.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses vibrant colors to distinguish landforms and water bodies.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProminently displays contour lines to show elevation and topography.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows both natural and artificial features for a comprehensive view of the area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIllustrates islands, coastal regions, hills, valleys, and other landforms through topographic detail and color coding.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOffers a historical snapshot that can be compared with modern maps to study urban and environmental change over time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith 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 \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/es\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58832110059904,"sku":null,"price":54.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58832110092672,"sku":null,"price":145.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58832110125440,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58832110158208,"sku":null,"price":54.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58832110190976,"sku":null,"price":145.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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