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1959 Map of Steilacoom

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Steilacoom
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

Puget Sound shorelines and the expanding suburban reaches of Tacoma define this landscape at the end of the 1950s, with later updates tracking the rapid urbanization of University Place and Lakewood Center. The map reveals a complex land-use pattern where massive institutional and military installations, such as the Western Washington State Hospital and Fort Lewis Military Reservation, neighbor growing residential neighborhoods like Interlaken and Lake City.

Water plays a central role in the regional geography, from the deep Carr Inlet and Cormorant Passage to the inland chain of Gravelly Lake, Steilacoom Lake, and American Lake. Notable cultural landmarks include several educational institutions like Clover Park High Sch and Wright Academy, alongside recreational spaces such as the Fircrest Golf Course and the South Tacoma State Game Refuge. The presence of the Northern Pacific railroad line and the Pacific Highway South underscores the importance of the transportation corridor connecting these shoreline communities.