Published in 1889 under the succinct title “Amana,” this United States Geological Survey topographical map captures the Amana Colonies and their Iowa surroundings at a particularly evocative moment in their history. Drawn at the classic 1:62,500 scale, it presents a richly legible portrait of settlement, drainage, and relief across a landscape shaped by agriculture, river valleys, and communal industry. The colonies—Amana, East Amana, West Amana, and South Amana—appear not merely as points on a map, but as the geographic expression of a distinctive social experiment. Established in the 1850s by German-speaking religious immigrants, the Amana villages were still thriving communally when this map was issued, making the sheet a valuable record of both terrain and utopian settlement.

The map bears the unmistakable discipline of the US Geological Survey, an institution founded only a decade earlier, in 1879, to bring scientific rigor to the mapping of America’s lands, resources, and natural hazards. In this early USGS work, the landscape is rendered through carefully spaced contour lines, revealing the rise and fall of Iowa’s rolling hills with understated precision. Light tonal treatment gives the terrain a subtle sense of depth, allowing ridges, valleys, creek beds, and uplands to emerge without overwhelming the viewer. The result is both practical and elegant: a scientific document that also possesses the quiet visual grace characteristic of late nineteenth-century federal cartography.

At the center of the map lies the Amana region, one of the most remarkable communal settlements in the United States. Founded by members of the Community of True Inspiration, the colonies developed a network of villages organized around shared labor, religious life, workshops, farms, and mills. This map depicts that community before the eventual abandonment of communal ownership in the twentieth century, when the colonies would reorganize into a more conventional economic structure. Seen here, Amana and its neighboring villages occupy a landscape of fields, roads, waterways, and modest elevations, suggesting the practical intelligence with which the settlers chose and organized their environment.

The surrounding geography is equally compelling. The Iowa River, Prairie Creek, Calkins Creek, and the Cedar River help define the region’s natural structure, their courses threading through valleys that the contouring makes especially intelligible. Nearby places such as Florence, Benton, Clinton, Huxley, Hilton, Oxford, and Monroe situate the Amana settlements within a broader rural network of late nineteenth-century Iowa. These names evoke a world of small communities connected by roads, waterways, and agricultural exchange. The map’s topographic detail makes clear how settlement followed the logic of the land: streams offered water and power, valleys eased movement, and higher ground shaped fields, boundaries, and routes.

As a historical object, “Amana” offers more than a record of location; it reveals a meeting point between immigrant idealism, American expansion, and federal scientific mapping. The late 1880s were a period when the United States was increasingly cataloguing its interior with precision, transforming local landscapes into standardized sheets of national knowledge. Yet this map remains deeply local in feeling, preserving the contours of an Iowa community whose cultural identity was unlike any other in the region. Its understated design, carefully observed relief, and concentration of historically resonant place names make it a quietly powerful window into the physical and human geography of the Amana Colonies at their communal height.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Amana
• East Amana
• West Amana
• South Amana
• Florence
• Benton
• Clinton
• Huxley
• Hilton
• Iowa River
• Prairie Creek
• Calkins Creek
• Cedar River
• Oxford
• Monroe

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the US Geological Survey, established in 1879.
• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map with an 1889 imprint.
• Shows the Amana Colonies in Iowa and the surrounding area.
• Features detailed contour lines indicating elevation changes, typical of USGS topographical maps.
• Uses light terrain shading to add depth and highlight geographical features.
• Displays a landscape of rolling hills and valleys, giving insight into local elevation and landforms.
• The Amana Colonies were established in the 1850s by German immigrants.
• The colonies are historically known for communal living.
• Captures the Amana Colonies during a period when they were thriving, reflecting the socio-economic conditions of the era.

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.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

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.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.