Types of Data Available for Download on This Page
Download GIS-ready raster (image) data (georeferenced maps and rectified photographs) and a limited amount of vector (line) data (GIS geodatabases).
Raster data include U. S. Coast & Geodetic Survey topographic sheets (T-sheets) from 1864-1899, General Land Office (GLO) land survey plat maps from 1850-1890, and aerial photos from 1933-1940. Images are available in UTM ZONE 10N NAD83/HARN and UTM ZONE 10N NAD27 projections.
Vector data available at this time consists of a composite of about 130 digitized T-sheets that provide continuous coverage for the Puget Sound region. Data to be made available in the future include a geodatabase of interpreted historical (pre-Euro-American contact) conditions.
How the Data is Organized
The download interface organizes the GLO plat maps and aerial photos into seven sub-regional groupings. The T-sheets are grouped together on another page. The GLO plat maps are indexed using the Public Lands Survey System's township and range grid (e.g., T32N, R02E). Aerial photo tiles are indexed by the USGS quarter-quad and photo year (e.g., "Brinnon NE 1939").
All data can be found graphically or by image name. Users having a slow internet connection are advised to turn off the graphics option in their web browser and use the drop-down menus to locate specific tiles.