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1961 Map of Poverty Bay

Name: 1961 Topographic Map of Poverty Bay
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

Federal Way serves as the central hub of this 1961 survey, illustrating a landscape in rapid transition as residential developments expand between the urban centers of Tacoma and Auburn. The coastal margin is defined by the bluffs of Poverty Bay and Puget Sound, where the established communities of Woodmont Beach, Redondo, and Lakota meet the water. A distinctive purple overprint from the mid-1970s reveals the dramatic suburban sprawl that filled in the wooded areas around Steel Lake and Mirror Lake.

Infrastructure like the Military Rd and the Old Indian Bdy trace historical movement patterns across the plateau. The map details essential community landmarks from this era, including the Evergreen Airport and numerous local schools such as Panther Lake Sch. To the south and east, the industrial character of the region emerges near the Hylebos Waterway and the rail-connected valley floor near Algona and Pacific.