{"product_id":"old-map-of-denver-colorado-by-usgs-1940-englewood-littleton-south-platte-river","title":"Old Map of Denver, Colorado by USGS, 1940 – Englewood, Littleton \u0026 South Platte River","description":"\u003cp\u003eTitled “Englewood,” this 1940 United States Geological Survey map presents Denver and its southern environs at a revealing moment in the city’s twentieth-century growth. Drawn at a scale of 1:31,680, it captures the relationship between the established urban grid of Denver and the developing communities of Englewood and Littleton, where streets, rail corridors, waterways, and open land meet at the edge of the metropolis. The map’s topographical language is both precise and elegant: contour lines give form to the shallow valleys and subtle ridges of the Colorado Front Range foothill country, while color and linework distinguish settlement, transportation, drainage, and relief with the calm authority characteristic of USGS cartography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe United States Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became the nation’s foremost scientific mapping institution, combining field observation, triangulation, elevation measurement, and standardized cartographic design. By the time this map was issued, the USGS had refined a visual style that balanced technical accuracy with remarkable readability. Here, Denver is not portrayed as an abstract city plan but as part of a living landscape shaped by rivers, creeks, terraces, and engineered infrastructure. The mapmaker’s discipline is visible in every contour interval and stream trace, offering a measured portrait of place that served planners, engineers, landowners, travelers, and public agencies alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe South Platte River forms one of the great organizing features of the map, bending through the Denver area and tying the city to the broader geography of the plains. Bear Creek and Cherry Creek add further structure, their courses marking natural corridors that influenced settlement, transport, and recreation. Around these waterways, the map records parks, neighborhoods, industrial edges, and open tracts, showing how Denver’s growth was already intertwined with the management of water and land. In the semi-arid environment of Colorado’s Front Range, such details are especially meaningful: creeks and river bottoms were not merely scenic features, but essential axes of movement, cultivation, drainage, and urban expansion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnglewood and Littleton appear as distinct communities south of Denver, each with its own pattern of streets and development while remaining closely connected to the larger city. The presence of places such as Hampden Park and Cohen Park adds a civic and recreational dimension, suggesting a landscape in transition from rural and suburban margins toward denser metropolitan life. The map quietly documents this transformation before the immense postwar expansion that would reshape the Denver region. Roads and neighborhoods shown here offer a snapshot of pre-interstate Colorado, when local routes, rail lines, and creek valleys structured daily movement more visibly than the high-speed corridors that later came to dominate the urban landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical document, “Englewood” is especially compelling because it records Denver’s southern edge before decades of annexation, suburbanization, and infrastructural change altered the region’s appearance. The contour lines reveal the underlying terrain beneath the modern city, reminding the viewer that urban growth unfolded across a subtly varied landscape of slopes, draws, and river terraces. For anyone interested in Colorado history, urban geography, or the evolution of the Denver metropolitan area, the map offers a richly detailed view of a city poised between its nineteenth-century foundations and its mid-century expansion. It is both a scientific survey and a portrait of place, preserving the geography of a pivotal moment in 1940.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDenver\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEnglewood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLittleton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRiverside\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCohen Park\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouth Platte River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBear Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHampden Park\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCherry Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious streets and neighborhoods within Denver and Englewood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNearby valleys and ridges as indicated by contour lines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical topographical map titled \u003cstrong\u003e“Englewood”\u003c\/strong\u003e, dated \u003cstrong\u003e1940\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the \u003cstrong\u003eUnited States Geological Survey (USGS)\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows Denver, Colorado, and the surrounding area during a period of urban development\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated in a traditional USGS topographical style\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses contour lines to indicate elevation changes and terrain features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes a scale of \u003cstrong\u003e1:31,680\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses color and clear linework to distinguish landforms, populated areas, and hydrological features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides insight into historical land use, settlement patterns, density, and infrastructure in the Denver area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects geographic features such as valleys, water bodies, and changes in elevation\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 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=\"\/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":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58763103404416,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58763103437184,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58763103469952,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58763103502720,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58763103535488,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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