Research Guides: Historical Maps: Digital

Using CU-Boulder Digital Map Collections

The Earth Sciences & Map Library has four digital map collections. More information on each collection can be found on the pages linked below.

Click on "Category Pages" to see smaller subsets of these digital collections. Images may be saved or downloaded from the digital collection site.

For assistance accessing these collections or to view these maps in print at the Earth Sciences & Map Library, please email rad@colorado.edu or call 303-492-7578 to schedule an appointment.

Other Online Collections

Perry-Castañeda Library Historical Map Collection
Scanned historical maps of locations around the world, indexed by region.
Library of Congress Map Collections
Maps collections covering a wide variety of topics and geographic areas.
Denver Public Library Digital Map Collections
Contains a range of maps of Colorado and individual towns including Denver, Central City, Colorado Springs and many others.
TopoView
Interactive interface for viewing and downloading in various formats historical USGS topographic maps from the late 1880s to 2010.
David Rumsey Maps
The historical map collection has over 64,000 maps and images online. The collection includes rare 16th through 21st century maps of America, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Pacific and the World.
Historical Map Archive (University of Alabama)
Historical maps scanned from various private and public collections.
Bureau of Land Management General Land Office Records
View and download historic and current survey plats and field notes, land patents, and land status records
Yale Map Collection Online Maps
Digitized antiquarian maps and historical maps of cities. Once you search Yale's digital collection, be sure to limit by format "cartographic."

Databases with Historical Maps

The following databases are accessible to CU-Boulder affiliates with an IdentiKey. People not affiliated with CU-Boulder may access these databases by using computers in the Libraries:

U.S. Congressional Serial Set
Publications of the U.S. Congress from 1817 to 1980, covering a wide range of topics. Can limit search to maps.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (Gale)
Resources printed in Britain and its possessions or in the English language 1701-1800. Can limit search results to illustrated works containing maps.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online (Gale)
Sources related to the 19th century aiming to provide an in-depth, global view of the period. Use the Maps Locator to find archival maps.