Titled simply “Healdsburg,” this United States Geological Survey map was published on October 30, 1940, using survey data from that same year, presenting a finely measured portrait of northern Sonoma County at a pivotal moment before postwar growth reshaped the region. At a scale of 1:62,500, it balances broad regional comprehension with satisfying topographical detail, centering on the town of Healdsburg and the surrounding folds of river valley, wooded hills, and rural roads. The USGS’s disciplined cartographic language—precise contours, blue waterways, and carefully differentiated terrain—gives the map both scientific authority and visual elegance. It is a vivid record of place: not merely a guide to landforms, but a snapshot of settlement, agriculture, transportation, and landscape in 1940 California.

Healdsburg occupies the heart of the sheet, set within the fertile meeting ground of the Russian River and Dry Creek, two defining waterways of the region. The Russian River’s sinuous course anchors the map, tracing the valley floors that supported orchards, vineyards, farms, and small communities long before the area became internationally associated with wine tourism. Dry Creek and Felta Creek add a finer hydrological texture, their channels cutting through the terrain and revealing the intimate relationship between water, settlement, and cultivation. Alexander Valley appears as another important landscape feature, its open floor framed by rising ground. Through these river corridors, the map conveys why Healdsburg developed where it did: at a naturally advantageous crossroads of water, arable land, and overland movement.

The human geography of the area is equally compelling. Geyserville, Windsor, Santa Rosa, and Calistoga situate Healdsburg within a network of Sonoma and Napa County settlements, while the plotted roads and rail lines show the infrastructure that connected farms, towns, and markets. Highway 101, already a major north-south artery, threads through the region, reinforcing Healdsburg’s role as a gateway between the Bay Area and California’s North Coast. State Route 128 and numerous unnamed rural roads and trails speak to a more local geography of ranches, vineyards, wooded parcels, and valley crossings. The North Coast Railroad adds another historical layer, recalling the era when rail transport was central to agricultural distribution, timber movement, and regional travel.

As a topographical composition, the map is rich with the quiet drama of contour lines. The terrain surrounding Healdsburg is shown as a dynamic landscape of valley bottoms, rounded hills, ridgelines, and wooded slopes, each elevation change registered through the USGS’s meticulous linework. The traditional color scheme heightens readability: waterways in blue, cultural features and roads clearly marked, and relief expressed through tightly or broadly spaced contours that immediately communicate steepness and openness. Parks and wooded areas around Healdsburg lend the sheet an evocative natural character, suggesting the patchwork of cultivated land and native vegetation that defined the region. The result is a map that rewards close looking, revealing both the practical structure and subtle beauty of the landscape.

Historically, this 1940 map captures Healdsburg and its environs just before the profound transformations of the mid- and late twentieth century: expanding highways, suburban growth, intensified viticulture, and the rise of Sonoma County as a celebrated destination. Its depiction of land use, roads, trails, rivers, railways, and town patterns offers a valuable baseline against which later change can be measured. The sheet preserves a moment when Healdsburg remained strongly tied to agriculture, river valleys, and regional transport networks rather than the boutique identity it would later acquire. In the clarity of its contours and the restraint of its design, the map embodies the USGS tradition at its best: practical, exacting, and unexpectedly poetic in its portrayal of the American landscape.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Healdsburg
• Russian River
• Dry Creek
• Felta Creek
• San Pablo Bay
• Alexander Valley
• Geyserville
• Windsor
• Calistoga
• Santa Rosa
• Highway 101
• North Coast Railroad
• State Route 128
• Various unnamed trails and roads
• Parks and wooded areas surrounding Healdsburg

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on October 30, 1940
• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map featuring Healdsburg, California, and its surrounding area
• Uses survey data from 1940 to present detailed topographical features
• Healdsburg is prominently displayed at the center of the map
• Employs a traditional topographical style with varied color schemes to represent elevation changes and geographical features
• Contour lines denote elevation and terrain changes
• Terrain is depicted in rich detail, showcasing hills and valleys
• Rivers are delineated in blue to indicate waterways through the region
• Reflects the geographical landscape of Healdsburg and its surrounding areas as of 1940
• Serves as a historical document illustrating how urban development and land use have evolved since then

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.