{"product_id":"old-map-of-gig-harbor-washington-by-usgs-1959-tacoma-point-defiance-fox-island","title":"Old Map of Gig Harbor, Washington by USGS, 1959 – Tacoma, Point Defiance \u0026 Fox Island","description":"\u003cp\u003eTitled “Gig Harbor,” this U.S. Geological Survey topographical map captures the southern Puget Sound landscape in 1959, with a 1960 imprint marking its publication. At the precise 1:24,000 scale favored by the USGS, it presents Gig Harbor and its surrounding peninsulas, islands, inlets, roads, and settlements with scientific clarity and understated elegance. The map records a moment when this once-quiet maritime community was poised between rural waterfront life and the suburban growth that would later reshape the region. Gig Harbor Bay, Fox Island, Point Defiance, Raft Island, North Bay, and the approaches toward Tacoma are all rendered within a finely structured cartographic framework, making the sheet both a practical geographic document and a richly evocative historical portrait.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map its distinctive visual language: crisp contour lines, carefully classified roads, hydrographic detail, and measured use of color to distinguish forested land from open terrain. Green areas indicate woodland and vegetation, while white spaces suggest cleared or developed land, allowing the viewer to read the landscape as both topography and land use. The contouring reveals the rolling character of the Gig Harbor peninsula, where ridges, shorelines, coves, and small valleys shape patterns of settlement and travel. Elevation markers and landform shading make visible the subtle but consequential terrain of the Puget Sound margins, where maritime geography, glacial history, and human habitation meet in compact and intricate form.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGig Harbor itself appears as the focal point of the sheet, set around its sheltered bay, long valued as a natural harbor for fishing vessels, small craft, and waterfront commerce. Nearby Spring Street and surrounding roads suggest the structure of the community before later expansion and heavier regional traffic transformed the area. U.S. Route 16, already a defining transportation corridor, links the harbor district to broader movements between the Kitsap Peninsula and Tacoma. The map’s road network, local access routes, and scattered neighborhoods reveal a landscape in transition: still spacious, wooded, and water-oriented, yet increasingly connected to the metropolitan orbit of Tacoma and the wider South Sound.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe water features are among the map’s most compelling elements. Gig Harbor Bay, North Bay, the channels around Fox Island, and the shoreline near Point Defiance create a maritime geography of sheltered anchorages, narrow passages, and promontories. Huelsdonk Point, Point Evangeline, Raft Island, and Cushman Dam add further texture to the coastal and inland setting, each name anchoring a different facet of the region’s human and natural history. Across the southeastern quadrant, Tacoma’s presence hints at the industrial and urban power of the mainland city, while Point Defiance evokes one of the most celebrated natural and civic landmarks of the Puget Sound, known for forest, shoreline, and commanding views.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical document, this 1959 map is especially valuable for the changes it allows one to trace. Comparing its roads, wooded tracts, shorelines, and settlement patterns with the modern landscape reveals the pace of postwar development around Gig Harbor and the South Sound. Areas that appear lightly settled or forested would, in later decades, see new neighborhoods, expanded highways, commercial growth, and altered patterns of waterfront use. Yet the enduring structure of the region remains legible: the harbor, islands, peninsulas, hills, and bays continue to define the place. In this way, the map is both a technical achievement of mid-century American cartography and a quietly beautiful record of a Washington community at a pivotal moment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGig Harbor\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTacoma\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePoint Defiance\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFox Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCushman Dam\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHuelsdonk Point\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpring Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePoint Evangeline\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNorth Bay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRaft Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTowns and neighborhoods around Gig Harbor\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eU.S. Route 16 and local access roads\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGig Harbor Bay and smaller surrounding inlets\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eParks and natural reserves in the vicinity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:24,000 topographical map of Gig Harbor, Washington and the surrounding area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated by the U.S. Geological Survey\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDated 1959 with a 1960 imprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses color coding and contour lines to show elevation and landforms\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreen indicates forested areas, while white indicates open land\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows varied terrain including hills, waterways, and urban areas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eElevation changes are depicted with contour lines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServes as a snapshot of the region in 1959, useful for comparing changes in development, land use, and natural features over time\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=\"\/it\/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=\"\/it\/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=\"\/it\/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=\"\/it\/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":58830825488768,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0257\/0344\/8638\/files\/file_c18e8c06-7ada-476d-b493-24692da78110.jpg?v=1788273624","url":"https:\/\/uniquemaps.co.uk\/it\/products\/old-map-of-gig-harbor-washington-by-usgs-1959-tacoma-point-defiance-fox-island","provider":"The Unique Maps Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}