Published with a 1965 imprint from 1964 mapping, “Pullman” is a finely detailed US Geological Survey topographic portrait of southeastern Washington’s Palouse country at a revealing mid-century moment. At 1:24,000 scale, the map brings Pullman and its immediate surroundings into close focus, balancing civic detail with the expressive terrain of rolling hills, valleys, roads, and rural parcels. The city appears not as an isolated settlement, but as part of a larger landscape shaped by agriculture, education, transportation, and topography. Contour lines ripple across the sheet, giving structure to the celebrated hilly character of the Palouse, while the urban grid, campus grounds, roadways, and surrounding open country together evoke a place in active transition.

Pullman’s identity is inseparable from Washington State University, and this map captures the college town during an era of postwar expansion and modernization. The university’s presence influenced the city’s street patterns, population growth, civic institutions, and economy, making Pullman both a regional service center and an intellectual hub. Mid-20th-century Pullman was growing, but still closely tied to the agricultural landscape around it, and the map’s careful rendering of urban plots, road alignments, and adjacent rural land conveys that dual character beautifully. For collectors interested in university towns, this is a particularly evocative example: a map that records not only a place, but the relationship between campus, community, and countryside.

The cartographic language is classic USGS: precise, restrained, and deeply informative. Elevation is described through well-defined contour lines, allowing the viewer to read the land almost three-dimensionally, from the slopes surrounding Pullman to the valleys cut through the region. Roadways, trails, drainage features, property divisions, and built-up areas are layered into a disciplined visual system of color and linework. The result is both scientific and elegant, a map designed for practical navigation and analysis yet rich with aesthetic appeal. Its topographic style makes the Palouse’s characteristic undulating terrain immediately legible, revealing why settlement, farming, and travel routes developed as they did.

The Palouse River and nearby valleys anchor the natural geography shown here, threading through a landscape known for its loess hills and fertile agricultural soils. Although the map’s subject is Pullman, its broader interest lies in the way it situates the town within this distinctive regional terrain. The surrounding hills and rural areas speak to the agricultural economy that long defined southeastern Washington, while the pattern of roads and smaller communities suggests the practical networks connecting farms, university, and market town. Every contour and drainage line adds context, showing how water, slope, and elevation helped shape land use and movement across the region.

As a historical document, this map preserves Pullman at a pivotal point before later decades of suburban growth, campus expansion, and infrastructural change altered the city’s footprint. It offers a measured snapshot of land use, transportation, and settlement in the 1960s, when the city’s modern identity was firmly emerging but the surrounding countryside remained visually and economically prominent. Created by the US Geological Survey, an agency renowned for mapping the nation’s terrain, resources, and natural hazards, it reflects the federal commitment to systematic geographic knowledge. For anyone drawn to Washington history, university towns, or the sculptural landscapes of the Palouse, “Pullman” is a quietly compelling cartographic record.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Pullman, Washington
• Washington State University
• Palouse River
• Surrounding areas and hills
• Various roadways and trails
• Nearby valleys and geographical formations
• Parcel boundaries and urban plots within Pullman
• Associated rural areas and smaller communities within the vicinity

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS), a scientific agency of the U.S. government known for mapping and studying natural resources and natural hazards.
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Pullman, Washington and the surrounding area.
• Created in 1964 with a 1965 imprint.
• Uses a classic topographic format with contour lines indicating elevation.
• Illustrated with a combination of color shading and black-and-white detailing.
• Shows varied elevations and well-defined contour lines reflecting the area’s hilly terrain.
• Captures the Pullman area in the mid-20th century, including urban development patterns, land use, and surrounding geography.
• Highlights Pullman’s role as a college town shaped by Washington State University.

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.