Titled “Redstone,” this United States Geological Survey topographic map was surveyed in 1960 and carries a 1988 imprint, pairing mid-century geographic information with a later federal publication history. At the precise 1:24,000 scale typical of USGS 7.5-minute quadrangles, it presents the Redstone area of Colorado with the clarity and authority that made these maps indispensable to engineers, hikers, planners, and historians alike. The map centers on the small mountain community of Redstone, set within the dramatic Crystal River valley, and records the surrounding terrain in fine cartographic detail. Contour lines articulate every slope, ridge, drainage, and valley wall, turning the rugged landscape into a legible portrait of elevation and landform.

Redstone itself is one of Colorado’s most atmospheric historic settlements, and the map places it within the wider mountain geography that shaped its development. The town was closely associated with industrialist John Cleveland Osgood, whose coal and coke operations helped define the area around the turn of the twentieth century. By 1960, when the survey information for this map was compiled, Redstone had long since evolved beyond its early company-town origins, yet its placement along the Crystal River still speaks to the practical logic of mountain settlement: water, valley access, and routes through otherwise formidable terrain. The map’s roads, tracks, and trails suggest the delicate infrastructural threads connecting habitation, industry, recreation, and wilderness.

The Crystal River is one of the map’s defining natural features, running through a landscape of steep gradients, forested slopes, and narrow valleys. Its course anchors the composition, while tributary streams, including named waterways such as Castle Creek, reveal the hydrological structure of the surrounding mountains. The dense network of contours conveys the abrupt rise from valley floor to ridge, making the map especially evocative of central Colorado’s vertical drama. Numerous unnamed peaks and ridgelines appear not as romantic silhouettes but as measured forms, their shapes translated into elegant brown contour intervals. This is a landscape where water and elevation govern movement, settlement, and access.

The presence of National Forest lands and broad forested areas gives the map a distinctly public-lands character, reflecting the federal stewardship that has shaped much of Colorado’s high country. Trails and unpaved roads thread through the terrain, hinting at logging routes, recreational paths, ranch access, and backcountry travel corridors. The cartographic language is restrained yet rich: symbols distinguish roads, streams, vegetation, built features, and land boundaries, while the legend provides the key to interpreting this layered terrain. Such details make the map more than a geographic reference; it is a record of how people navigated, used, and understood a mountainous environment in the mid-twentieth century.

Produced by the United States Geological Survey, an institution founded in 1879 and renowned for its systematic mapping of the American landscape, “Redstone” belongs to one of the great cartographic projects of the modern era. USGS topographic maps combine scientific precision with understated visual beauty, and this sheet exemplifies that tradition. Its 1960 geography offers a historical snapshot of the Redstone area before later decades of changing land use, expanded recreation, environmental management, and regional growth. For collectors, historians, and admirers of Colorado’s mountain landscapes, the map captures a compelling intersection of natural form, human settlement, and federal cartographic craft.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Redstone, Colorado
• Crystal River
• White River
• Castle Creek
• National Forest areas
• Numerous unnamed peaks and ridges
• Various trails and unpaved roads
• Contours denoting elevation changes
• Forested areas and parklands
• Bodies of water, including streams and rivers

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map produced by the United States Geological Survey.
• Dated 1960, with a 1988 imprint.
• Published by the United States Geological Survey, established in 1879 and known for detailed geographic and geological mapping across the United States.
• Uses traditional topographic representation, including contour lines to show elevation changes.
• Includes a legend with markers for different geographic features, reflecting the detail typical of USGS maps.
• Shows varied Colorado terrain, with mountainous landscapes, valleys, contour lines, and shaded relief.
• Represents a snapshot of the area as it was in 1960, offering insight into geographic and infrastructural development at that time.

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.