Titled “Broken Bow,” this 1981 United States Geological Survey map presents southeastern Oklahoma at the intimate 1:24,000 scale, where the language of contour, creek, road, and woodland becomes a remarkably precise portrait of place. Centered on the town of Broken Bow and its surrounding countryside, the map captures a landscape poised between settlement and wilderness: gridded streets and local roads give way to forested slopes, waterways, and recreational lands. Its topographic styling is classic USGS—subtle color, fine contouring, and green woodland tinting—designed not for ornament alone, but for clarity, measurement, and navigation. The result is a quietly elegant document of terrain, recording the contours of a region prized for its natural beauty and outdoor life.

Broken Bow itself appears as the principal human landmark, a southeastern Oklahoma town long associated with timber, regional commerce, and access to the Ouachita foothills. By 1981, the community had already become a gateway to one of Oklahoma’s most scenic districts, where forest, river, and upland terrain shaped both livelihood and recreation. The map’s roads—paved routes, smaller local ways, and dirt tracks—suggest a lived-in landscape of neighborhoods, farms, wooded parcels, and routes toward lakeside and mountain destinations. Nearby Eagle and smaller named features help place Broken Bow within a broader rural network. For collectors, such details make the map more than a technical survey: it is a period view of a community and its surroundings at a particular moment in late twentieth-century Oklahoma.

One of the map’s great attractions is its depiction of the terrain around Beavers Bend State Park and the Mountain Fork River, two defining features of the Broken Bow region. The Mountain Fork’s course introduces movement and drama, winding through a landscape where water has helped shape valleys, recreation corridors, and settlement patterns. Beavers Bend State Park, known for wooded hills, clear water, and outdoor pursuits, anchors the area’s reputation as a destination for fishing, hiking, camping, and quiet retreat. On the map, the park and its neighboring forests are not merely labeled attractions; they are integrated into the topographic fabric, with contour lines and vegetation tinting revealing why the area feels so distinct from the flatter plains commonly associated with Oklahoma.

The cartographic style is an excellent example of USGS topographical discipline. Brown contour lines describe elevation changes with measured precision, allowing the viewer to read slopes, ridges, hollows, and gently rolling ground almost as if seeing the land in relief. Green shading identifies forest and woodland, emphasizing the wooded character that makes the Broken Bow area so visually and ecologically rich. Roads and built features appear in contrasting tones, while streams and watercourses provide a cool blue framework through the terrain. This balanced visual system—functional, restrained, and exact—has made USGS quadrangles indispensable to hikers, planners, engineers, scientists, and historians. In this map, technical clarity becomes a form of understated beauty.

Created by the United States Geological Survey, an agency founded in 1879 to study and map the nation’s land, water, and natural resources, “Broken Bow” belongs to one of the most ambitious mapping traditions in American history. USGS quadrangles documented the country with a consistency that allowed local details to become part of a national geographic record. The 1981 date is especially evocative: southeastern Oklahoma was experiencing evolving patterns of tourism, environmental management, road access, and rural development, while its forests and recreational landscapes were becoming ever more valued. As a historical document, the map preserves the relationship between town, woodland, river, and park before later decades brought further change, making it a richly informative view of Broken Bow’s landscape and identity.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Broken Bow
• Eagle
• Beavers Bend State Park
• Mountain Fork River
• Various dirt and paved roads
• Nearby forests and woodland areas
• Contours and elevation markers
• Recreational sites and possibly marked trails

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Broken Bow, Oklahoma and the surrounding area.
• Dated and imprinted in 1981.
• Published by the US Geological Survey, a scientific agency of the U.S. government established in 1879.
• The map uses a color scheme typical of USGS topographical maps.
• Elevation changes are shown through shaded relief and contour lines.
• Green areas represent vegetation and woodland.
• The terrain includes a mix of flat land and gently rolling hills.
• The area has likely seen changes in land use and development since 1981, reflecting shifts in population and environmental management in southeastern Oklahoma.

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.