Published in 1951, the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Silver City” presents one of New Mexico’s most storied mining landscapes with the precision and restraint that made USGS topographic mapping indispensable. At a 1:24,000 scale, the map captures Silver City and its immediate surroundings at a moment when the old frontier mining economy was meeting modern roads, public lands management, and postwar development. The town appears not as an isolated settlement, but as part of a larger terrain of ridges, creeks, mines, and routes leading toward the Gila country. Its title is wonderfully direct, yet evocative: Silver City, a name inseparable from ore, ambition, and the rugged uplands of southwestern New Mexico.

The USGS, established in 1879, became the national authority for documenting the American landscape through geology, hydrology, elevation, and resource survey. This map reflects that mission in its most elegant form: contour lines articulate every rise and drainage, while roads, watercourses, mines, and land-use symbols are carefully integrated into a coherent portrait of place. Around Silver City, the terrain is anything but simple. Bear Mountain, Pinos Altos Hill, the Burro Mountains, and the Big Burro Mountains create a landscape of broken uplands and mineral-rich slopes. The map’s design allows the viewer to read the country almost as a geologist might: by gradients, watersheds, and the subtle relationship between settlement and stone.

Silver City’s historical significance comes through vividly in the network of mining and transportation features surrounding the town. The nearby Grace Gold Mine and the older mining communities of Pinos Altos and Tyrone speak to the region’s long association with copper, silver, and gold extraction. Fort Bayard, east of Silver City, adds another historical layer, recalling the military presence that accompanied settlement in this part of the Southwest. These names mark more than locations; they suggest the overlapping worlds of prospectors, soldiers, ranchers, railroad-era entrepreneurs, and later motorists. By 1951, Silver City was already a place with a deep past, and the map preserves the geography of that legacy with unusual clarity.

The natural drama of the region is equally compelling. The Continental Divide runs through this high country, separating waters that ultimately flow toward different oceans and lending the map a continental significance beyond its local detail. Creeks such as San Vicente Creek, Sapillo Creek, Little Cherry Creek, and Mule Creek trace the logic of the terrain, carving valleys through dry uplands and leading the eye toward the broader Gila River system. To the north, the great expanse of the Gila National Forest forms a wilder counterpoint to the mining towns and road corridors. Nearby features such as Washington Peak and Bear Mountain reinforce the sense of a landscape shaped by elevation, exposure, and scarce water.

As a historical document, the map is especially valuable because Silver City and its surroundings have changed substantially since 1951. Mining activity, urban expansion, tourism, and the growing importance of the Gila National Forest as a recreational gateway have all reshaped the region’s human geography. Yet this map preserves an earlier arrangement of roads, settlements, claims, creeks, and open country. Places such as Cliff, Redrock, Seven Rivers, and Chloride evoke the wider mining and ranching world connected to Silver City by trails, roads, and memory. With its finely rendered contours and authoritative USGS symbology, “Silver City” offers a richly layered view of southwestern New Mexico at mid-century—both scientifically precise and historically resonant.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Silver City
• Grace Gold Mine
• Continental Divide
• Bear Mountain
• Gila National Forest
• Chloride
• Pinos Altos
• Big Burro Mountains
• Mule Creek
• Pinos Altos Hill
• San Vicente Creek
• Sapillo Creek
• Little Cherry Creek
• Seven Rivers
• Washington Peak
• Burro Mountains
• Redrock
• Tyrone
• Cliff
• Fort Bayard
• Gila River

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map dated 1951.
• The USGS is known for authoritative geological mapping and reliable scientific information about the U.S. landscape and resources.
• Highlights a historically significant mining region, with connections to mining history and access to the Gila National Forest.
• Features detailed topographic shading and contour lines showing elevation changes.
• Includes symbols identifying roads, water features, and land use.
• Shows varied terrain, including mountains, valleys, and urban areas.
• Offers insight into a landscape that may have changed considerably since 1951 due to mining activity, tourism, land-use shifts, and urban development.

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.