The “Ten Sleep Quadrangle” presents a finely observed portrait of north-central Wyoming, published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1978 from 1967 topographic work. At a detailed 1:24,000 scale, it focuses on the town of Ten Sleep and the intricate terrain surrounding it, translating hills, valleys, ridgelines, waterways, roads, and vegetation into a precise cartographic language. The map’s contour lines and shaded relief give the landscape a sculptural immediacy, revealing the rise and fall of the country with uncommon clarity. More than a record of place, it captures a moment in the late twentieth-century American West, when small towns, ranching corridors, and mountain approaches were being documented with scientific rigor.

Ten Sleep itself occupies a distinctive place in Wyoming history and geography. Nestled near Ten Sleep Creek on the western flank of the Bighorn Mountains, the town’s name is traditionally linked to Indigenous travel routes, marking a point said to be “ten sleeps” between important Native American camps. The surrounding country carries echoes of older pathways, frontier movement, stock trails, and pioneer-era settlement, all framed by the dramatic transitions between valley floor and mountain slope. On this map, Ten Sleep appears not as an isolated settlement, but as part of a living network of creeks, roads, draws, and ridges—an intimate landscape shaped by water, elevation, and human passage.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s influence is evident in the map’s disciplined clarity and technical confidence. Founded in 1879, the USGS became one of the great cartographic institutions of the modern world, producing maps that served geologists, engineers, land managers, miners, hikers, soldiers, conservationists, and planners. Its quadrangle maps are especially admired for their ability to compress vast environmental complexity into legible form. Here, each contour, benchmark, drainage line, and vegetation tint contributes to a larger understanding of the land. The result is both scientific instrument and historical document: a measured view of Wyoming at a particular point in its evolving infrastructural and environmental story.

The physical drama of the Ten Sleep country is expressed through the map’s dense topographic patterning. Ten Sleep Creek threads through the area, while Sprowl Creek, the Middle Fork of the Powder River, and smaller drainages articulate the hidden logic of the terrain. Contour lines tighten along steeper slopes and loosen across gentler ground, allowing the viewer to read the land almost tactilely. The nearby Bighorn Mountains exert a powerful presence, suggested through ridgelines, elevation points, and the varied relief that defines this portion of Wyoming. Green shading marks vegetation, adding ecological texture to the composition and distinguishing wooded areas from more open valley and upland terrain.

As a historical image, the map is especially compelling for the way it records a rural western landscape before later decades of development, demographic change, and shifting land use. Riverside Road and other local routes indicate the practical arteries of movement through the valley, while the mapped creeks and ridges hint at the environmental forces that governed settlement and ranching patterns. The Ten Sleep Quadrangle belongs to a tradition of American mapping that prized accuracy, utility, and permanence, yet it also carries an undeniable visual elegance. Its careful depiction of a small Wyoming town and its mountainous surroundings makes it a richly evocative document of place, memory, and terrain.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Ten Sleep (populated place)
• Ten Sleep Creek
• Bighorn Mountains
• Sprowl Creek
• Middle Fork of the Powder River
• Riverside Road
• Numerous elevation points and contour lines indicative of varying topography
• Areas of vegetation depicted in green shading
• Surrounding valleys and ridges that define the landscape

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Ten Sleep in Wyoming and the surrounding area.
• The map is dated 1967 and carries a 1978 imprint.
• Mapmaker/Publisher: US Geological Survey (USGS).
• The US Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the U.S. government, known for detailed geological and topographic maps used in fields such as natural resource management and disaster response.
• Ten Sleep has historical significance linked to Native American tribes and pioneer routes.
• The map features elevation lines and shaded relief, giving a three-dimensional sense of the terrain.
• The topography includes hills, valleys, and notable ridgelines typical of this part of Wyoming.
• The region has experienced changes over time, including infrastructure development and population shifts, which may be reflected in updates from the original topographic data.

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.