{"product_id":"old-map-of-clark-fork-idaho-by-usgs-1951-lake-pend-oreille-selkirk-mountains","title":"Old Map of Clark Fork, Idaho by USGS, 1951 – Lake Pend Oreille \u0026 Selkirk Mountains","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1952 from 1951 mapping, “Clark Fork Quadrangle” presents the Idaho landscape around Clark Fork at the authoritative 1:62,500 scale, balancing scientific precision with the quiet drama of the northern Rocky Mountains. Produced by the United States Geological Survey, the map captures a region where settlement, transportation, water, and wilderness meet at the edge of Lake Pend Oreille. Clark Fork itself appears as a small but significant place, set among valleys, creeks, ridgelines, and routes that reveal how people moved through this steep country. The map’s careful contours and restrained color make the terrain immediately legible, while also preserving a mid-century view of an Idaho landscape still defined by forests, mountains, rivers, and sparse development.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States Geological Survey brought to this map the institutional rigor that made its quadrangles indispensable to geologists, engineers, foresters, planners, and travelers. By the early 1950s, USGS topographic mapping had become a national language for describing land: contour by contour, creek by creek, road by road. In the “Clark Fork Quadrangle,” that language is especially expressive. The agency’s cartographers translated a rugged and complex portion of Idaho into a clear, systematic composition, where elevation, drainage, settlement, and access are rendered with remarkable discipline. More than a navigational aid, the map is a record of how the federal government understood and organized the American landscape during a period of postwar infrastructure growth, resource management, and expanding recreational interest in mountain regions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLake Pend Oreille anchors the map’s geography, its expansive waters contrasting with the steep, broken country that rises around it. Clark Fork lies near the lake’s northeastern reaches, where rivers and creeks descend from the surrounding highlands and carve natural corridors through the terrain. Gold Creek, Trestle Creek, Eagle Creek, and Lost Creek each contribute to the map’s intricate drainage pattern, their courses threading through valleys and folds in the mountains. The nearby Selkirk Mountains and Green Monarch Mountain lend the composition a strong vertical character, while the wider network of ridges and unnamed valleys conveys the complexity of this northern Idaho landscape. Roads and trails appear selectively, emphasizing how movement through the region was shaped by watercourses, passes, and topographic constraint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cartographic design is classic mid-century USGS: functional, elegant, and rich in information. Greens and browns distinguish vegetation and relief, while dense contour lines describe the steep rises and descents that define the quadrangle. These contours are not merely technical markings; they give the map its sculptural quality, allowing the viewer to sense the shape of the land before reading a single place name. Mountain slopes compress into tight bands, valleys open into gentler spacing, and creeks reveal the logic of erosion across the landscape. The result is a map of considerable visual rhythm, in which topography becomes both data and design. Its clarity reflects the USGS ideal that a map should be scientifically exacting yet immediately readable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical document, the “Clark Fork Quadrangle” preserves a moment before later decades of development, environmental change, road improvement, and shifting land use altered parts of the region. It shows Clark Fork, Pritchard, the approaches to Lake Pend Oreille, and the surrounding mountain country in a mid-twentieth-century context, when forestry, transportation, hydrology, and rural settlement all shaped local life. The inclusion of rivers such as the Kootenai and Thompson, along with numerous trails and minor routes, evokes a broader landscape of movement and resource extraction, but also one of remoteness and natural grandeur. For collectors, the map offers more than place: it offers atmosphere, preserving the topographic character of northern Idaho with the precision and restraint that define the best USGS work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClark Fork, Idaho\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLake Pend Oreille\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGold Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTrestle Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePritchard, Idaho\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreen Monarch Mountain\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEagle Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLost Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKootenai River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSelkirk Mountains\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThompson River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious unnamed valleys and ridges\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoads and trails throughout the mapped area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:62,500 topographical map showing Clark Fork, Idaho, and the surrounding area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDated 1951 with a 1952 imprint.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe USGS is renowned for detailed topographic maps used in geological studies, land use planning, and outdoor activities.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures a rich color palette, using shades of green and brown to indicate elevation changes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eContour lines demarcate topographical rises and falls.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows pronounced elevations and rugged mountainous terrain characteristic of Idaho.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePreserves a mid-20th-century view of a region that has likely changed through development, land use shifts, and environmental change.\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=\"\/fr\/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=\"\/fr\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) 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=\"\/fr\/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=\"\/fr\/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":"Default Title","offer_id":68138958782855,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0257\/0344\/8638\/files\/file_2112acc9-9279-48a5-be47-d7dad54ff649.jpg?v=1794001426","url":"https:\/\/uniquemaps.co.uk\/fr\/products\/old-map-of-clark-fork-idaho-by-usgs-1951-lake-pend-oreille-selkirk-mountains","provider":"The Unique Maps Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}