Old Map of Provo, Utah by USGS, 1948 – Orem, Utah Lake & Brigham Young University

Published in 1978 from a 1948 US Geological Survey base, “Provo” presents one of Utah Valley’s defining landscapes at the intimate 1:24,000 scale. Centered on Provo, Utah, the map captures the meeting of city, campus, farmland, river corridor, lake margin, and mountain front in a region shaped by both settlement and striking natural relief. The USGS’s topographic language—precise contour lines, carefully classified roads, water features, land-use coloring, and civic symbols—turns the sheet into a measured portrait of place. Here, Provo appears not merely as a city, but as a geographic hinge between Utah Lake to the west and the steep Wasatch terrain rising dramatically to the east.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined clarity that made its quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, hikers, and historians. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the principal cartographic authority for the scientific mapping of the American landscape, and its 1:24,000 series remains one of the most influential mapping projects ever undertaken in the United States. On this Provo sheet, the agency’s practical elegance is evident: contour intervals describe slope and elevation with quiet precision, blue lines trace rivers and water bodies, and road networks establish the human framework laid across the valley floor. The result is a map that balances utility with a remarkable visual poise.

Provo’s setting gives the map much of its drama. Utah Lake occupies the low western basin, an expansive freshwater landmark central to the ecology, transportation, and settlement history of Utah Valley. The Provo River, descending from the mountains toward the lake, marks one of the area’s most important natural corridors, historically sustaining agriculture and later shaping recreation and urban development. Eastward, the terrain gathers force in contours that crowd toward Provo Peak, Mammi Peak, and the greater Wasatch Front. These lines reveal the steep transition from valley communities to alpine slopes, making the map especially compelling as a record of both habitation and topographic intensity.

The urban geography is equally absorbing. Provo is shown in relation to Orem, Springville, Pleasant Grove, American Fork, Mapleton, and other neighboring communities, illustrating the connected pattern of settlement that would become the modern Utah Valley metropolitan corridor. Brigham Young University appears as a major landmark within Provo, anchoring the city’s educational and cultural identity. Roads and highways, including US Route 89 and the later Interstate 15 corridor, emphasize the valley’s role as a north-south passage between Salt Lake City and central Utah. Schools, parks, civic sites, and recreational areas add further texture, revealing a landscape where municipal growth and outdoor access developed side by side.

As a historical document, “Provo” offers a valuable snapshot of a region in transition. The 1948 geographic foundation reflects a postwar Utah Valley still strongly tied to agriculture, local roads, river systems, and compact town centers, while the 1978 imprint places the sheet within an era of accelerating suburban expansion and transportation modernization. Its layered view of land use, elevation, infrastructure, and natural features allows comparison between older patterns of settlement and the rapidly growing communities visible today. For collectors drawn to the American West, university towns, or the cartography of mountain valleys, this map distills Provo’s distinctive identity: scholarly, industrious, and inseparable from lake, river, and range.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Provo
• Utah Lake
• Orem
• Springville
• Pleasant Grove
• American Fork
• Brigham Young University
• Provo River
• Provo Peak
• Mapleton
• Mammi Peak
• Interstate 15
• US Route 89
• Parks and recreational areas surrounding Provo
• Schools and historic sites within Provo

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS), known for detailed topographical mapping.
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Provo, Utah and the surrounding area.
• Dated 1948 and published with a 1978 imprint.
• Shows urban settings alongside natural features including lakes, rivers, valleys, hills, and mountains.
• Uses contour lines to represent elevation changes and topographic variation.
• Includes symbols indicating different land uses.
• Features a color palette distinguishing urban areas, water bodies, and agricultural land.
• Highlights Provo’s mountainous surroundings and proximity to bodies of water.
• Reflects development and geographical change in the area since 1948.
• Offers insight into urban growth, land use, and environmental features significant to Provo and its surroundings.

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.