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

This is an extremely large 1957 U.S. Geological Survey city map of Houston, Texas. The map depicts from Bellaire to Channelview and Golden Acres and from Melrose Park and Sherwood Place to South Houston and the Houston International Airport.

A Closer Look

Highly detailed, streets throughout are illustrated, although not all are labeled. Schools, churches, and hospitals are illustrated along with oil tanks and refineries. Suburbs, neighborhoods, and other subdivisions are identified. The campuses of Rice University (then known as the 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.

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.