{"product_id":"old-map-of-palm-springs-california-by-usgs-1957-san-jacinto-mountains-coachella-valley","title":"Old Map of Palm Springs, California by USGS, 1957 – San Jacinto Mountains \u0026 Coachella Valley","description":"\u003cp\u003eTitled “Palm Springs,” this 1957 United States Geological Survey map captures the celebrated desert resort and its dramatic surroundings at a pivotal moment in its postwar transformation. Published with a 1959 imprint, it presents Palm Springs not merely as a glamorous oasis of hotels, hot springs, and modernist homes, but as a settlement set within a striking physical landscape. The city appears against the broad floor of the Coachella Valley, with its gridded streets, local roads, and developing districts carefully distinguished from the surrounding desert terrain. Highway 111, the vital corridor linking the communities of the valley, anchors the map’s human geography. Around the urban fabric, the desert opens outward, while the nearby mountains rise with imposing clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map is a fine example of the USGS topographic tradition, in which scientific precision and visual clarity combine to describe the land in extraordinary detail. Contour lines, shading, and subtle color distinctions convey the rapid elevation changes that define the Palm Springs area, from the relatively level valley floor to the rugged slopes of the San Jacinto Mountains. This cartographic language makes the terrain immediately legible: washes, canyons, ridgelines, and developed areas all emerge as part of an interconnected desert environment. The USGS, long respected for its rigorous mapping of American landscapes, produced maps such as this for practical navigation, land management, engineering, and resource study, yet today they also serve as compelling historical portraits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePalm Springs occupies a uniquely dramatic setting, and this map makes that geography central to the story. To the west and south, the San Jacinto Mountains rise steeply from the desert, forming one of Southern California’s most memorable topographic contrasts. Their slopes, canyons, and elevated contours frame the resort city, explaining both its scenic allure and its climatic character. The Coachella Valley extends outward as a broad desert corridor, linking Palm Springs to nearby communities such as Desert Hot Springs and Palm Desert. Roads and trails trace movement through this landscape, while the mapping of washes and canyon mouths hints at the powerful seasonal forces that shape desert landforms despite an appearance of aridity and stillness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA particularly important feature of the map is its attention to Indigenous lands, including the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation and areas associated with Indian Canyons. These names mark a much deeper history than the mid-century resort boom for which Palm Springs is often remembered. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has long been central to the region’s identity, with ancestral ties to the canyons, springs, and desert-mountain ecology shown here. The map’s boundaries and place names reveal the layered nature of land ownership and cultural presence in the Palm Springs area. Against the modern grid of streets and resort development, these reservation lands underscore that the landscape was never simply an empty desert awaiting urban expansion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a document of the late 1950s, this map offers a vivid snapshot of Palm Springs during an era of rapid growth and reinvention. The city was becoming synonymous with leisure, celebrity, golf, spa culture, and the clean lines of mid-century modern architecture, yet the map grounds that glamour in roads, neighborhoods, contours, and public lands. It records the expanding urban footprint before later waves of development further transformed the valley. The relationship between built districts and open desert is especially revealing, showing Palm Springs at the threshold between resort enclave and metropolitan desert community. For collectors and historians, it is a richly detailed view of a place where geology, Indigenous history, transportation, and modern design converged in the California desert.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePalm Springs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAgua Caliente\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAgua Caliente Indian Reservation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCoachella Valley\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSan Jacinto Mountains\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndian Canyons\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHighway 111\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLocal roads and trails\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesert Hot Springs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePalm Desert\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious residential and commercial districts of Palm Springs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the United States Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Palm Springs, California, and the surrounding area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe map is dated 1957 and carries a 1959 imprint.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePalm Springs is shown as a well-known desert resort city, noted for its hot springs, stylish hotels, and mid-century modern architecture.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe map features detailed topographic information, including elevation contours, hachures, shading, and color gradations.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDifferent colors are used to distinguish land uses, vegetation types, and developed areas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe terrain includes mountains, valleys, desert landscapes, and urban development.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe map provides insight into land use and development in Palm Springs during the late 1950s.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIt highlights the changing relationship between urban areas and natural landscapes in the Coachella Valley region.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe use of contour lines and shading clearly communicates elevation changes, a hallmark of USGS topographic maps.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith 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 \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/es\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58760861057408,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58760861090176,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58760861122944,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58760861155712,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58760861188480,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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