1957 U.S. Geological Survey City Map or Plan of Houston, Texas

Rise of the Houston Freeway Era.

This is a huge 1957 U.S. Geological Survey city map of Houston, Texas. It is one of the largest and best mid-century maps of the city. It chronicles the development of Houston's epic freeway system as well as the post-war population boom.

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces from Bellaire to Channelview and Golden Acres and from Melrose Park and Sherwood Place to South Houston and the Houston International Airport. The enormous size allows for exceptional detail. Streets, schools, churches, and hospitals are illustrated. Special emphasis is given to oil tanks and refineries. The campuses of Rice University (Rice Institute), Texas Southern University, and the University of Houston are included. Rice Stadium, which would host a speech by President John F. Kennedy only five years later, is labeled. The city's railroads cut through the streets at strange angles, indicating their presence long before being subsumed into sprawling urbanization.

Houston in the 1950s

In the 1950s, Houston was a rapidly growing city at the heart of Texas' booming economy, driven by its flourishing oil and energy industries. As one of the largest cities in the United States, it was experiencing significant urban development and expansion, with the post-World War II population surge fueling suburban growth. This was the era of the Houston Freeway System, with highways like the Gulf Freeway and Southwest Freeway connecting the city to its surrounding areas, marking Houston as a leader in car-centric urban design. The city's aerospace industry was also gaining momentum, setting the stage for its later designation as 'Space City' with NASA's arrival in the 1960s. Culturally, Houston thrived as a hub for the arts, with institutions like the Houston Symphony and the Museum of Fine Arts enriching the city's vibrant cultural scene.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by the U.S. Geological Survey and published in 1957. It is well represented in institutional collections but scarce on the private market.

Cartographer

The United States Geological Survey (March 3, 1879 - present), commonly abbreviated USGS, is an American federal scientific bureau and civilian mapping agency within the Department of the Interior, established in Washington, D.C., and subsequently headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Congress created the Survey to classify public lands and investigate the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain, replacing separate western investigations with a permanent scientific organization. Its first director, Clarence King (1842 - 1901), organized geological investigations and recruited experienced scientists and topographers from earlier federal surveys. Under his successor, John Wesley Powell (1834 - 1902), director from 1881 to 1894, topographic mapping expanded from support for individual geological investigations into a nationwide undertaking. Congressional authorization in 1882 to continue preparation of a geological map of the United States extended the Survey's work into the eastern states, while systematic topographic mapping received authorization in 1884. Henry Gannett (1846 - 1914), the Survey's chief geographer, helped establish enduring methods and standards for this work. Its topographic quadrangles represented terrain through contour lines alongside drainage, settlements, roads, and other features, furnishing a common geographic foundation for scientific investigation and practical land use. During the 20th century, the Survey's mapping evolved from field surveying and compilation toward aerial photography, photogrammetry, and digital geographic information systems. A formal program begun in 1947 to map the conterminous United States at 1:24,000 scale culminated in nationwide coverage in 1992, comprising more than 55,000 maps. The Survey also produced geological and thematic maps and assembled national geographic information. In 2009 it introduced US Topo, a digitally generated successor to its traditional topographic quadrangles. Its continuing cartographic work includes The National Map, digital topographic products, and public access to historical quadrangles, alongside broader investigations of water, ecosystems, mineral and energy resources, and natural hazards.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Wear along original fold lines. Light soiling. Closed margin tear extending 4.5 inches into upper corner of margin professionally repaired on verso.

References

OCLC 9000325.