The 1941 “Monterey Quadrangle” presents one of California’s most storied coastal landscapes with the precision and quiet authority of the U.S. Geological Survey. Drawn at 1:62,500 scale, it captures Monterey Bay and the Carmel coast at a moment before the region’s postwar expansion reshaped roads, suburbs, military lands, and resort development. Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pacific Grove, and Pebble Beach appear not as isolated destinations, but as settlements woven into a dramatic topographic setting of headlands, beaches, river valleys, and rising inland hills. Its “advance” designation gives the map an added documentary interest, suggesting a working issue prepared to place updated geographic knowledge into circulation quickly for scientific, civic, and planning use.

The map’s visual language is classic USGS topography: elegant contour lines trace every fold of terrain, while color differentiates landforms, watercourses, roads, and settlements with disciplined clarity. Around the coast, the cartography becomes especially evocative, rendering the scalloped edge of Monterey Bay, the rocky promontories near Cypress Point, and the sweep of beaches near Pacific Grove and Asilomar. Shading and contouring combine to create a subtle three-dimensional effect, allowing the viewer to read the steepness of slopes, the drainage of valleys, and the close relationship between settlement and landform. The result is both a technical document and a portrait of place, where scientific measurement becomes visually compelling.

Historically, the Monterey Peninsula was already a landscape of layered identities by 1941: Spanish mission heritage, fishing and canning industries, elite resort enclaves, military installations, and wild coastline all occupied the same narrow geography. Cannery Row and Monterey evoke the sardine industry that defined the waterfront in the early twentieth century, while Mission San Carlos Borromeo anchors Carmel’s deeper colonial history. Pebble Beach and 17-Mile Drive mark the rise of scenic tourism and private coastal development, tracing a route through cypress groves, golf links, and surf-cut shoreline. Fort Ord, meanwhile, points to the military importance of the region on the eve of America’s entry into World War II.

Natural features dominate the composition as much as towns and roads. The Carmel River and Salinas River systems structure the inland valleys, guiding settlement, agriculture, and transportation through a rugged coastal environment. Point Lobos appears near Carmel as one of the most celebrated rocky headlands on the California coast, a place renowned for wind-sculpted cypress, marine life, and dramatic ocean views. Farther south, the route toward Big Sur and Point Sur signals the beginning of a wilder coast, where mountains crowd close to the Pacific and travel becomes constrained by cliffs and canyons. The map reveals how narrow and precious the habitable margins are between sea, river, and upland.

As a work of the U.S. Geological Survey, this quadrangle belongs to a vast national project to measure, classify, and render the American landscape with consistency and rigor. Yet the Monterey sheet has a distinctive romance because its subject is so geographically rich: a famous bay, a historic presidio town, literary Cannery Row, Carmel’s artistic village, Pebble Beach’s coastal roads, and the threshold of Big Sur all held together in one mapped field. It records a coastline before freeways, subdivisions, and modern tourism fully transformed the peninsula. For today’s viewer, the map offers more than orientation; it is a finely drawn historical snapshot of one of California’s most evocative coastal regions.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Monterey
• Carmel-by-the-Sea
• Pacific Grove
• Pebble Beach
• Point Lobos
• Fort Ord
• Point Sur
• Salinas River
• Carmel River
• 17-Mile Drive
• Scenic Highway from Carmel to Pacific Grove
• Cannery Row
• Laguna Grande
• Asilomar State Beach
• Cypress Point
• Moss Landing
• Mission San Carlos Borromeo
• Big Sur
• Coastal and inland topographic features, including hills, valleys, and beaches

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map titled Monterey Quadrangle
• Created in 1941
• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, known for comprehensive topographic mapping across the United States
• Shows the Monterey area before extensive later urban development and land-use changes
• Uses contour lines to illustrate elevation and relief
• Employs color differentiation to distinguish topographical features
• Shading enhances the three-dimensional appearance of landforms
• Depicts rugged coastal terrain, including hills, valleys, ocean proximity, natural formations, and human settlements
• Features intricate detailing of coastal contours and significant landmarks
• Noted as an advance issue or edition

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.