Titled “Des Moines SE,” this U.S. Geological Survey topographical map captures Iowa’s capital and its southeastern surroundings as they appeared in 1956, with a 1958 imprint reflecting its subsequent publication. Drawn at the detailed 1:24,000 scale, it presents Des Moines not as an abstract city plan, but as a living landscape of streets, rivers, railroads, parks, fields, and expanding neighborhoods. The map’s title is modest, yet the sheet records a revealing moment in the city’s postwar transformation, when residential subdivisions, industrial corridors, transportation lines, and agricultural edges all coexisted within the same mapped frame. It is a precise mid-century portrait of urban Iowa, balancing civic growth with the enduring influence of terrain and water.

The U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined visual language that made its quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, geologists, surveyors, and public agencies. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the nation’s authoritative mapper of landforms and natural resources, creating standardized maps that translated the American landscape into a practical and elegant system of contours, symbols, colors, and names. On “Des Moines SE,” that scientific clarity is immediately apparent: roads are differentiated by type, buildings and developed areas are carefully marked, rail lines thread across the sheet, and contour lines describe the subtle rise and fall of the terrain. The result is both utilitarian and historically evocative, a map made for use that now reads as a beautifully ordered record of place.

The rivers are among the map’s most important organizing features. The Des Moines River and the Raccoon River shape the city’s geography, guiding transportation routes, influencing settlement patterns, and defining corridors of open land and industry. Their banks reveal the practical relationship between water, urban growth, and infrastructure in mid-twentieth-century Des Moines. Nearby features such as Cedar Lake, parks, green spaces, and low-lying river land give the map a layered topographic character, showing how natural systems remained embedded within the expanding city. Contour lines articulate the surrounding slopes and elevations, allowing the viewer to sense the physical setting beneath the street grid. This is Des Moines as terrain as much as metropolis: a capital city built within a riverine landscape.

The built environment shown here is equally compelling. Streets such as Scott Street and Merle Hay Road appear within a broader network of residential blocks, building plots, industrial areas, and open tracts awaiting development. Railroad tracks cut through the mapped area, reminders of the freight and passenger systems that helped structure Des Moines’s economy and urban form. Fort Des Moines, with its deep associations in military history and civic identity, adds another layer of significance to the sheet. East and West Park, along with other green areas, suggest how recreation and public space were integrated into the city fabric. At the margins, open fields and agricultural land reveal the transitional edge between city and countryside, a defining feature of America’s postwar metropolitan expansion.

As a historical document, “Des Moines SE” offers a valuable snapshot of a city on the cusp of modern growth. Since the 1950s, Des Moines has expanded, redeveloped, and reconfigured many of the landscapes recorded here, making the map an especially rich source for understanding earlier patterns of land use, transportation, and neighborhood formation. Its color-coded design and standardized topographic conventions give order to a complex urban scene, while its details invite close study: the placement of rail lines, the shape of river corridors, the distribution of parks, and the persistence of undeveloped land. More than a technical survey, it is a poised and revealing portrait of mid-century Iowa, capturing the moment when old landscapes and new urban ambitions met on the map.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Des Moines
• Raccoon River
• Des Moines River
• Scott Street
• Fort Des Moines
• Cedar Lake
• East and West Park
• Merle Hay Road
• Railroad tracks
• Various parks and green areas
• Open fields and agricultural land
• Residential areas and building plots

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Des Moines, Iowa, and the surrounding area.
• The map was created in 1956 and carries a 1958 imprint.
• The US Geological Survey is known for scientific research, data collection, and geospatial mapping across the United States.
• The USGS provides mapping resources focused on natural sciences and resources, supporting public policy and land management.
• The map uses a color-coded scheme to represent different land uses and elevations.
• Standard cartographic symbols identify roads, buildings, and topographical features.
• Contour lines show elevation changes and the area’s topographic character.
• The map illustrates natural features including rivers, terrain, and varying elevations.
• Since publication, Des Moines has undergone significant urban development and expansion.
• The map provides insight into mid-20th-century land use and urban planning.

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.