Old Map of Boulder City, Nevada by USGS, 1958 – Hoover Dam & Lake Mead

Titled “Boulder City,” this United States Geological Survey topographical map was published in 1961 using survey data from 1958, capturing southern Nevada at a revealing moment in its postwar transformation. At a scale of 1:62,500, it presents Boulder City and its surrounding desert terrain with the clarity and authority characteristic of USGS mapping. The map is especially compelling for its proximity to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, two defining features of the modern American Southwest. Here, engineered water, desert settlement, transportation routes, and rugged basin-and-range geography converge in a single, carefully measured view of a region reshaped by federal ambition and hydrological control.

Boulder City occupies a distinctive place in American history, having been established in the 1930s to house workers building Hoover Dam. By the late 1950s, when the surveys behind this map were made, the city had evolved from a planned construction community into a permanent desert town closely tied to tourism, power generation, and regional infrastructure. The map quietly records that transition: roads radiate through the arid landscape, rail lines appear in dashed notation, and benchmarks and survey markers anchor the terrain in a precise geodetic framework. It is a portrait not simply of a town, but of a purpose-built community maturing in the long shadow of one of the twentieth century’s great engineering achievements.

The cartographic language is classically topographic, with contour lines rendering the rise and fall of the land in disciplined detail. Around Boulder City, the surrounding valleys, desert slopes, ridges, and nearby mountain ranges emerge through finely graduated elevation markings and shaded relief. These features convey the austere drama of the Mojave environment: dry washes, exposed uplands, steep approaches, and open basins shaped by heat, erosion, and scarcity of water. Roads and landmarks are set against this physical framework, allowing the viewer to understand not only where places are, but why movement through the region follows particular corridors. The map’s beauty lies in this union of scientific precision and desert grandeur.

Lake Mead and Hoover Dam give the map much of its historical force. Created by the impoundment of the Colorado River, Lake Mead transformed the surrounding desert into a vital reservoir landscape, supporting cities, agriculture, recreation, and hydroelectric power across the Southwest. The Arizona-Nevada state line, appearing in relation to these monumental features, underscores the interstate significance of the dam and reservoir system. In this setting, geography and policy are inseparable: the map shows a terrain where water management, energy production, and settlement patterns were all bound together. For collectors, it offers a measured view of the Hoover Dam region after its initial construction era but before later decades of explosive growth.

Produced by the United States Geological Survey, the map reflects an institutional tradition devoted to accuracy, public knowledge, and the systematic depiction of the American landscape. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the nation’s foremost mapping authority, and its topographic sheets remain prized for their combination of technical rigor and historical insight. “Boulder City” is a particularly evocative example because it documents a landscape at the intersection of natural desert forms and human intervention. Survey markers, benchmarks, unnamed roads, potential reservoirs, railroads, and contour-defined terrain all contribute to a richly layered record. It is both a navigational document and a historical artifact of mid-century Nevada.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Boulder City
• Lake Mead
• Hoover Dam
• Arizona-Nevada state line
• Several unnamed roads
• Various unnamed valleys
• Desert terrain features
• Railroads indicated by dashed lines
• Survey markers
• Benchmarks
• Potential reservoirs
• Adjacent mountain ranges and peaks

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map showing Boulder City, Nevada and the surrounding area.
• Produced by the United States Geological Survey, a U.S. government scientific agency responsible for mapping and natural resource assessments.
• Based on survey data from 1958 and published with a 1961 imprint.
• Uses a standard USGS topographic layout with contour lines to show elevation changes.
• Includes clearly marked roads, landmarks, shaded relief, and physical geography details.
• Provides a late-1950s snapshot of Boulder City and the surrounding region.
• Reflects the impact of Hoover Dam on the area’s economic, demographic, and regional 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.

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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.