Published in 1993 using survey data from 1967, the USGS map titled “St. Paul East” captures a richly detailed eastern portion of Minnesota’s capital at a pivotal moment in its late twentieth-century development. Drawn at the authoritative 1:24,000 scale, it presents St. Paul not as an abstract city plan, but as a living terrain of bluffs, river corridors, neighborhoods, roadways, rail lines, lakes, reservoirs, and green spaces. The Mississippi River forms one of the map’s defining presences, shaping settlement, industry, transportation, and recreation alike. South St. Paul appears within this broader metropolitan fabric, giving the sheet both civic specificity and regional scope. The result is a compelling topographic portrait of an urban landscape still visibly bound to its natural geography.

The United States Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined clarity and technical precision for which its quadrangles are renowned. Rather than privileging one feature over another, the USGS style layers human and physical geography into a coherent visual system: contours describe elevation; blue identifies water; green indicates parks and wooded areas; black and red articulate roads, buildings, and transportation networks. Patterns and shading distinguish land uses and surface conditions, allowing the viewer to read the city as both infrastructure and landform. At 1:24,000 scale, even modest changes in relief, route alignment, and shoreline configuration become legible. This is cartography with an engineer’s rigor and a historian’s gift for preserving the momentary arrangement of place.

St. Paul’s eastern districts are especially well suited to topographic mapping, where the urban grid is constantly negotiating the curves and cuts of the Mississippi River valley. The river’s broad course, associated lowlands, and adjacent elevations help explain the placement of roads, railways, industrial corridors, and residential neighborhoods. South St. Paul, long associated with stockyards, river commerce, and working landscapes, sits within this geography of movement and exchange. Lakes, reservoirs, and parklands punctuate the map, revealing the city’s softer green and blue framework amid its dense transportation web. Trails and open spaces add another layer of civic life, while the mapped roads and railways illustrate how St. Paul functioned as a connected metropolitan center within the Twin Cities region.

The distinction between the 1967 survey data and the 1993 publication date gives this sheet particular historical resonance. It preserves a surveyed landscape from the era of postwar expansion, freeway construction, suburban growth, and changing industrial patterns, while arriving in published form at the threshold of another metropolitan chapter. For researchers, collectors, and admirers of urban history, this time gap invites comparison: which roads were established, which neighborhoods had taken shape, which natural features remained constant, and where later development may have transformed the terrain. The map becomes more than a navigational aid; it is a document of accumulated change, recording St. Paul at the intersection of older river-based geography and modern urban infrastructure.

As a visual object, “St. Paul East” offers the particular pleasure of a USGS quadrangle: restrained, exacting, and quietly beautiful. Its color-coded language rewards close looking, turning the complexity of a city into an ordered field of signs without sacrificing the character of the place itself. The Mississippi’s sweep, the texture of streets and rail lines, the interruption of parks and water bodies, and the measured articulation of elevation all combine to create a nuanced portrait of St. Paul’s eastern side. It is a map for those drawn to cities as layered landscapes—places where geology, transportation, civic planning, and memory coexist. In its precision, it preserves the geography of a capital city with uncommon elegance.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• St. Paul
• South St. Paul
• Mississippi River
• Lakes, as marked
• Parks and green spaces, as marked
• Roads, as marked
• Neighborhoods, as marked
• Trails, as marked
• Reservoirs, as marked
• Railways, as marked

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
• Created using survey data from 1967 and published in 1993.
• Historical 1:24,000 scale topographical map of St. Paul, Minnesota, and the surrounding area.
• Uses color coding, patterns, and shading to distinguish topographic features and land usage.
• Shows a mix of urban and natural landscapes, including elevation changes and water bodies.
• Reflects development and landscape changes in St. Paul since 1967, offering insight into urban growth and geographic modifications over 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.