The Maps of Washington (State) and the Pacific Northwest consist of historic and superseded maps depicting forest resources, geology, public lands and land use, hydroelectric projects, highways, and railroads in Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. Most of the maps in the collection are of all or part of the State of Washington. Regional maps depict Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and, in some cases, California and Wyoming. The maps were created by various U.S. government agencies, State of Washington departments, and private organizations.
The collection includes maps created over a 150-year period from the mid-19th century through the 1990s, with the bulk of the maps documenting the early 20th century. Hand-drawn manuscript maps created by early explorers and surveyors as well as maps created from satellite imagery are part of the collection. Regional maps as well as detailed, local maps are available.
Maps of national forests and national parks, primarily in Washington, are included in the collection. These include several maps of Mount Rainier and other Cascade peaks, many of which depict the extent of mountain glaciers.
Of special note are maps of hydroelectric projects in the Columbia River Basin. These provide information on dams, reservoirs, irrigation projects, and power transmission. The maps include government publications on projects' status, local newspaper documents, and maps depicting power plant location and the distribution and transmission of electricity.
Collection is open for research.
The Maps of Washington (State) and the Pacific Northwest are arranged into 7 series: I. Forestry Maps, 1898-1975; II. Public Land Maps, 1915-1986; III. Geologic Maps, 1936-1994; IV. Hydroelectric and Power Maps, 1948-1983; V. Superseded Topographic Maps, 1909-1965; VI. State of Washington Maps, 1909-1962; and VII. Pacific Northwest Maps, 1863-1975.
Maps of Washington (State) and the Pacific Northwest (MAPS PNW), Oregon State University Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
These materials were transferred from the Oregon State University Libraries' maps collection to the Special Collections & Archives Research Center in 2014.
Additional forestry maps for Oregon are available in several collections, including the
Series I consists of maps depicting forest lands, primarily in Washington, prepared by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Soil Conservation Service, or State of Washington Division of Forestry. The maps provide information on land classification and forest types, including timber age, quality, and volume. The series includes several original maps prepared in 1898-1900 as well as photocopies of maps from that period. Maps depicting the site potential for western Washington and Oregon are also included.
Prepared by State of Washington Division of Forestry.
The color map is published on 4 sheets with one sheet for each quadrant of the state (northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast). Two full sets plus a third copy of the southwest quadrant are included. Prepared by staff of the Pacific Northwest Forest Experiment Station. Depicts non-forest lands, non-commercial forest types, and timberland types. Approximate scale of 1:250,000.
Color map shows cut areas, timberless areas, burned areas, and six ranges of estimated board feet per acre. Prepared by George H. Plummer, F.G. Plummer, and J.H. Rankine and published with the U.S. Geological Survey Annual Report, Part V. Approximate scale 1:405,000.
Scale 1:250,000.
Scale 1:750,000. Color map depicts 4 classes of land suitable for cultivation and 4 classes not suitable for cultivation that may be appropriate for grazing or forest. The map also shows several zones with similar conservation problems. Prepared by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service; issued to accompany Washington State College Institute of Agricultural Sciences Popular Bulletin no. 200.
Color maps show areas of virgin timber and merchantable forests. Prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey; scale 1:125,000.
Color photocopies; scale 1:125,000.
Color photocopy; 1:250,000 scale.
One map depicts land classification; a second shows cedar proportions; and a third shows red fir proportions. Color photocopies at 1:250,000 scale.
Color photocopy.
One sheet each for northwestern and southwestern Oregon and Washington. The maps show areas of "saw timber", second growth, recent cut-overs, and nonforest land. Scale of 1 inch = approximately 20 miles.
Scale 1 inch = 20 miles; one copy of Oregon map and two copies of the Washington map. These maps accompany
Series II consists of maps depicting public lands, primarily in Washington. Most of the maps depict National Forests and National Parks and provide information on recreational areas, roads, and trails. Maps of the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington and California depict trail lengths, proposed routes, and scenic and historical points along the trail. Of special note are several maps of Mount Rainier and plans and profiles of the Nisqually Glacier as well as maps of the Mount St. Helens area before the catastrophic May 1980 eruption. The maps were prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, and Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Prepared by State of Washington Department of Natural Resources; includes brochure text. Approximate scale 1 inch = 10 miles.
The maps for individual national forests include text and photos for visitors.
Depicts national forests in Idaho, Montana and eastern Washington and Oregon. Approximate scale of 1 inch = 20 miles.
Scale 1 inch = 2 miles.
Approximate scale 1 inch = 4 miles.
Approximate scale 1 inch = 4 miles.
Approximate scale 1 inch = 4 miles.
Approximate scale 1 inch = 2 miles.
Approximate scale 1 inch = 2 miles.
Includes descriptive text.
Shaded relief map; 1:125,000 scale.
Includes several topographic maps of the park as well as plans of the Nisqually Glacier made in 1951, 1955, and 1966 and longitudinal profiles made in 1966. Shaded relief maps of Mount Rainier are also included. Topographic maps show the extent of glaciers on Mount Rainier.
Most of the maps depict the area before the catastrophic May 1980 eruption; one 1986 visitor map for the monument is included.
At a 1: 720,000 scale.
Series III consists of geologic maps, primarily of Washington. A soil map of the Pacific Northwest and a map of earthquakes in Washington and Oregon are also included. The bulk of the maps were produced by the U.S. Geological Survey or the State of Washington. Most of the maps are color and include descriptions of the geologic formations.
Published by State of Washington, Department of Conservation and Development, Division of Geology; edited by George W. Stose. Two copies of the map are available.
Published by the State of Washington Division of Mines and Geology. Scale 1:500,000.
Compiled by A.E. Weissenborn of the U.S. Geological Survey. Scale 1:2,000,000.
Compiled by Leona Boardman; published by U.S. Geological Survey. Scale 1:750,000.
Compiled by M. Grace Wilmarth, Secretary of Committee on Geologic Names, U.S. Geological Survey.
Includes Oregon, Washington, and Idaho; from
This map includes four maps on one sheet for different areas of Washington: (A) western and northern margin of the Olympic Peninsula; (B) a belt extending across the Puget Sound Basin into the Cascade Mountains; (C) the Quimper Peninsula; and (D) the Cathcart Cherry Valley region. The maps were prepared by Charles E. Weaver.
By E.G. Sohn.
Prepared by R.C. Newcomb and published by the U.S. Geological Survey as map I-587 in the Miscellaneous Geological Investigations series.
By Susan K. Goter. Published as USGS Open File Report 94-226A.
Series IV consists of maps that provide information on proposed and existing hydroelectric projects in the Columbia River Basin. These maps include information on how the projects have affected the Columbia River and its tributaries. The series also includes maps depicting the service area of public and private electrical utilities and transmission of power across the northwest. The maps depict existing dams, proposed dams, and electrical transmission lines as well irrigation projects and canals. The maps of individual dams also include text about the dam and photographs. The maps were prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; U.S. Federal Power Commission; the Bonneville Power Administration, and the Inland Empire Waterways Association.
Includes maps and profiles for hydroelectric projects.
Shows service areas of invester-owned utilities.
Series V consists of superseded or obsolete topographic maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey for various locations in Washington. Most of the maps are 15 minute quadrangles (1:62,500 scale). The maps depict topography; vegetation cover; rivers and lakes; roads, railroads, and other transportation; political boundaries; and the boundaries of national forests and parks. Many of these maps are of peaks in the Cascade Range or Olympic Mountains and depict the extent of glaciers in those mountain ranges. Also of note are the Mount St. Helens and Spirit Lake sheets which show that area before the catastrophic 1980 volcanic eruption. A 1909 Seattle map is also included in the series. The Portland and Bridal Veil sheets include both Oregon and Washington.
These maps are at a 1:125,000 scale.
Series VI consists of various maps of Washington; most are of the entire state. They include highway maps and base maps as well as maps depicting public lands and irrigated lands. The maps were produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, Census Bureau, and Forest Service as well as the State of Washington.
Scale 1 inch = 12 miles. Compiled from the official records of the General Land Office; shows U.S. Reclamation Projects; national forests, parks, and game preserves; and Indian and military reserves. 1909 and 1924 editions; 1909 edition is encapsulated.
Prepared by U.S. Forest Service; depict paved, gravel, secondary, and proposed roads; descriptive travel information on verso. Scale 1 inch = 10 miles.
Prepared by State of Washington Department of Highways. Scale 1 inch = 10 miles. Includes travel information.
Prepared by U.S. Geological Survey; this copy is a reprint made in 1944. Scale 1:1,000,000.
Produced by U.S. Geological Survey; scale 1:500,000.
Produced by the U.S. Forest; separate sheets for northwest and southwest quadrants. Scale 1 inch = 4 miles. Indicate state exchange areas.
Prepared by Washington State Secretary of State; a pictorial map with no scale indicated.
Prepared by U.S. Bureau of the Census. Depicts acreage of irrigated land reported in each county. Scale 1 inch = 10 miles.
Published by George F. Cram Company, edition no. 1517. Scale 1 inch = 9 miles (1:570,240). Depicts county boundaries in color; roads; and cities and towns. Includes an index of cities and towns with populations and inset maps of Washington trunk highways and Congressional districts in Washington.
Series VII consists of historic maps of the Pacific Northwest region. The maps depict Oregon and Washington or, in some cases, a broader area that includes California or Idaho and Montana. The maps depict railroads, highways, landforms, and land use. Several of the maps depict the Columbia Basin; one map of Puget Sound is also included. Several reproductions of mid-19th century manuscript maps are included.
Published by W. Campbell Judge; compiled by W. Elliott Judge. Depicts Oregon, Washington Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming and shows highways and railroads.
This color map was published for classroom use and depicts political boundaries as well as natural vegetation, annual rainfall, and population distribution for the northwest. The map includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana. Edited by Howard H. Martin, University of Washington, and Otis W. Freeman, Eastern Washington College of Education. Published as part of the Denoyer-Geppert Physical-Political Series. Scale 1:1,200,000.
Denoyer-Geppert Series Map S165vr. Edited by J. Granville Jenson, Oregon State University; John C. Sherman, University of Washington was the consultant for Washington and Harry H. Caldwell, University of Idaho, for Idaho. Scale 1:665,280; color.
By Erwin Raisz; depicts Oregon, Washington, Idaho, western Montana. Includes 1941 and 1965 (3rd revised) edition.
Depicts Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company existing and proposed rail lines; river steamboat lines; and other railroads. Carey irrigation projects and Reclamation Act project are also depicted on the map. The map is in poor condition and housed in a roll storage container. Use caution and care in handling the map.
This is a reproduction of the original 1846 map. The reproduction was printed for the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum.
Drawn by Ralph M. Shane, Warm Springs, Oregon. Depicts the area that now comprise Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. This is a photocopy.
Prepared by U.S. Soil Conservation Service.
Prepared by U.S. Soil Conservation Service.
Includes all of the western United States; hand-colored.
Prepared by U.S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Agricultural Economics from the records of the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Grazing Service. Color map.
Prepared by A. Petruccilli and published to accompany March 1940 issue of
Pictorial map prepared by the Oregon Historical Society, probably to commemorate the Oregon centennial; no scale.
Produced by the National Highways Association; depicts the highway in Washington, Oregon, and California.
Tourist map and brochure.
A pictorial relief map published by the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway Company.
This is a reproduction of the 1849 manuscript map of the Columbia Basin.
This map ranges from British Columbia to California and from the Pacific Coast to Wyoming. Published by Port of Portland Commission.
This is a reproduction of the original map.
Prepared by Bellingham Bay Abstract and Title Insurance Company. Fifth revised edition; shows the Puget Sound area from Olympia to the Canadian border. This copy is a facsimile color reproduction of the 1903 map.
This map includes areas of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
This map includes areas of Oregon, California, Idaho, and Nevada.
This map includes areas of Washington and Oregon; scale 1:1,000,000.
This map includes areas of Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada; scale 1:1,000,000.
This map includes areas of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana; scale 1:1,000,000.
Depicts extent of glaciers on Mt. Baker; scale 1:24,000.